Subnautica 2 dev responds with ire to pirates bragging on official Discord

Subnautica 2’s developers, including the creative development lead for the early-access underwater survival-exploration title, know that many gamers will pirate the game. Still, they hope many users will instead buy the game, play it for an hour, and, if they don’t like it, simply refund Subnautica 2.

For context, some players pirated Subnautica 2 just before its early-access release on May 14, 2026. This wasn’t a problem for Gallegos, but what really got under his skin was the fact that some pirates were bragging about it in Subnautica 2’s official Discord server. He isn’t losing sleep over it, but it bothered him enough to make a statement.

When Subnautica 2 launched in early access on May 14, Gallegos shared a straightforward message (in Subnautica 2’s official Discord server) with gamers and pirates alike, which went viral on the r/subnautica subreddit. He said he gets it. He understands why piracy happens, especially when money is tight in this economy. However, flaunting it when others paid for the game and were waiting for release was crossing the line. It felt childish.

Anthony Gallegos wrote:

Just to be clear, pirates are gonna do their thing. We were all kids once. Money and the economy are very hard right now. I get it. It wasn’t the piracy that bothered me; it was the people who flagrantly walked in here and wagged it in the faces of people who were waiting to play it legitimately. That was the part that aggravated me.

Gallegos continued, “I cannot condone piracy, but I get why people do it. I would much rather people buy the game, try it for an hour, and return it than go play it illegally.”

Gallegos also noted that one gamer who pirated Subnautica 2 before its early-access launch was asking for help with the incomplete leaked build. 

He remarked, “You gotta be a true idiot to come into an official Discord server and ask for help. Thanks for pirating a game that I’ve spent years working on. I’m disappointed that you’d do that when it’s kind of how we make our living. I hope you rethink your life choices.”

While Gallegos’ message might be a little emotional toward the end, it’s true that the game went through development hell due to an incredibly chaotic corporate war, with back-and-forth lawsuits between Unknown Worlds and publisher Krafton.