Subnautica 2 had everyone hyped to dive back into the deep end, but the game's end-user license agreement is doing its best impression of a final boss nobody asked for. Fans who decided to actually read the fine print (absolute legends, honestly) have surfaced some deeply sus clauses that are sending alarm bells through the community.
According to Eurogamer, the EULA contains a maximum payout cap of just $50 in the event that a user suffers damages. That's right - no matter what goes wrong on the developer's end, the most you can legally claw back is fifty bucks. For context, the game will almost certainly cost more than that at launch.
But wait, there's more! The agreement also reportedly bans the use of VPNs, which is the kind of clause that raises eyebrows for a whole laundry list of reasons. Privacy-conscious players and folks in regions with sketchy internet restrictions are not exactly thrilled about that one.
The community's response? Predictably volcanic
Eurogamer reports that fans have been very vocal about the terms, with some calling the EULA "predatory as hell" - which, to be fair, is a pretty accurate speedrun summary of the situation. This is the kind of thing that makes you wonder who exactly signed off on it and whether they expected nobody to notice.
It's worth pointing out that aggressive EULAs are, unfortunately, not exactly rare in the games industry. But that doesn't mean players have to just respawn and accept it - especially when the clauses feel this one-sided.
Subnautica 2 is still in development, so there's time for the developers to patch this particular legal dungeon before it goes live. Whether they actually will is another question entirely. The original Subnautica built its reputation on being a beloved, community-friendly experience - this kind of legal fine print is about as on-brand as finding a leviathan in the starter zone.
For now, fans are keeping a close eye on the situation. We'll see if the devs respond to the backlash or if players are just going to have to sign their rights away to go touch some coral.
