Vortex Gaming

· Subnautica 2 proved its explosive popularity by recording a peak of approximately 467,000 concurrent players on Steam on its launch day.
· This is a massive increase compared to its predecessor, Subnautica, which had a peak of 12,000 concurrent players.
· It was also the most wishlisted game on Steam prior to its release.
· It's estimated to have sold over 1 million copies so far, an incredible achievement even in its early access phase.

· Since its release, Subnautica 2 has overtaken Bungie's 'Marathon,' which held the #1 spot on Steam DB's popular search rankings for about three months, to claim the top position.
· This achievement, unmatched by any other game, highlights the immense interest in Subnautica 2.

· Subnautica 2 is still in its early access phase, and the development team has stated they plan to add content through updates over the next few years.
· Despite this, it has sold over 1 million copies, reflecting the high expectations of gamers.
· While there have been some controversies related to in-game DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) elements, these are being evaluated separately from the game's inherent fun.

· In its review of Subnautica 2, IGN acknowledged positive aspects like gameplay, story, and multiplayer, yet assigned a score of 7.
· This is significantly lower than the 9.1 score received by its predecessor, Subnautica, and many gamers find it difficult to accept.
· The review is particularly criticized for its contradiction: the reviewer praised the sequel as better than the original in every aspect but still gave it a low score.

· Travis Northup, the reviewer for Subnautica 2, has faced criticism in the past for inconsistent scoring across other games.
· It's been pointed out that his review scores often diverge from a game's actual popularity or player reception.
· Some have questioned the fairness of his scoring process, fueling doubts about the credibility of game journalism.

· Many players are expressing dissatisfaction with IGN's low score for Subnautica 2, given its high popularity and positive reception.
· This is cited as an example of the widening gap between game review outlets and actual gamers.
· Some argue that IGN's review score doesn't accurately reflect the game's true value and emphasize the importance of direct player experiences and evaluations.

· Popular game streamer Master of TDS, after playing Subnautica 2 for about 2.8 hours, stated that while he prefers the previous game, the sequel is also a solid title.
· He noted that the content is still lacking considering it's in early access but expressed anticipation for future updates.
· He particularly responded positively to the improved character designs and multiplayer elements compared to the first game.

· Some critics view IGN's approach of evaluating and scoring early access games as if they were already complete products as problematic.
· The argument is that early access games are inherently expected to have shortcomings in content volume or optimization, and assigning low scores without considering this is unfair.
· This raises fundamental questions about the objectivity and fairness of game reviews.

· Reviewer Travis Northup, in his Subnautica 2 review, stated that the sequel is better than the predecessor in every aspect, yet assigned a score of 7 to the sequel versus 9.1 for the original.
· This is a clear contradiction between the review's text and its score, leading gamers to strongly question the scoring methodology.
· Some even suspect that this score difference might have been influenced by external pressure or specific agendas, unrelated to the game's actual value.

· Many gamers are expressing distrust in IGN's low score for Subnautica 2, despite its high popularity and positive player reception.
· This could lead to a decline in trust towards game review outlets, suggesting the need for a more critical approach when consuming game reviews.
· Nevertheless, gamers' expectations for Subnautica 2 itself remain high, with hope for the game's future development through upcoming updates.