Subnautica 2’s EULA Terms Have Gamers Debating Digital Ownership Again

Subnautica 2 has one of the best launches of any game into early access, selling over 2 million copies in just 2 days. The game has only launched on PC and Xbox Series X/S, leaving out an entire player base on PlayStation 5. This shows how big the game’s success has been, and for good reasons. The game is better than the original in most aspects, while also having multiplayer. However, the game is now receiving huge backlash from the community, not due to its gameplay, but because of its EULA. According to the EULA, you don’t actually own Subnautica 2.

You Don’t Actually Own Subnautica 2, Its EULA Confirms

The game ownership debate has been raging for quite some time, especially with major developers like Ubisoft urging players that gamers have to get out of the mindset of owning games. StopKillingGames has been at the forefront of pushing for gamers’ right to own games they purchase legally. So, it was no surprise that a post in StopKillingGames subreddit was the first to reveal the big issues in the Subnautica 2 EULA.

According to the EULA, Krafton specifically mentions that those who buy Subnautica 2 own a license and not the actual game. Alongside that, some of the other major concerns in the EULA are:

• Right to remote access to the game whenever they want.
• Restrictions on streaming, screenshots, recordings, and types of content creation that monetize the game, and they require an official disclaimer.
• Non-ownership of player-created content, including mods and other materials.

So, are these clauses concerning? Yes and no. Yes, they are concerning because it shows you that developers can get away with such clauses without any preliminary checks. No, because many of these clauses generally don’t hold up to the actual laws of the land in most democratic regions around the world. We have seen time and time again that developers love using such wording in their EULAs, but fail to back them up in the actual court of law.

I personally won’t be worried too much about the EULA, but I also agree with the backlash Krafton is receiving for it. Especially after what they tried to do with the Subnautica developers before the game’s release, they have definitely dropped much further in a normal gamer’s eye over the years. Subnautica 2’s player count is still going strong, so I think the game will remain unaffected by the backlash.

So, what’s your opinion on the EULA backlash of Subnautica 2? Tell us in the comments section below.