A ship is only as strong as her crew. She may have the most accurate navigation equipment, the most powerful engines, the strongest hull: None of it is of any use if her crew does not do right by her. Subnautica is being developed by a small team. What it lacks in numbers, it makes up for in experience, determination, and energy. During development, this team will grow slightly, and we will update this post as it does.

Charlie (Flayra) is our leader, taking on the role of game director and lead gameplay programmer. He brought the idea of Subnautica to Unknown Worlds, and has inspired us to work on it. He is responsible for designing the gameplay and mechanics that we hope will have you all hooked. At his side is Steve (SteveRock), who is the technical lead for the project. Steve is in charge of creating the structure in which the gameplay and art of Subnautica can flourish: From efficient and beautiful rendering, to procedural world generation, water physics and everything in between.

The look and style of Subnautica is being created by Cory (Squeal Like a Pig), as art director. Cory’s keen eye and steady drawing hand form the basis for the look and feel of the vehicles, environments, creatures, characters, and equipment of this underwater world. You can see Cory’s concept art gracing the Subnautica blog and social media posts. To turn Cory’s visions into a living, breathing gameplay world, a team of artists has formed:

Brian (Chops) is the technical artist, the funnel through which all art passes to get into the game. Colin is lead animator, creating rigs, skinning bones, and making cycles. He is supported by animators Brandt, Scott (Obraxis), and Alex. Scott is also leads the volunteer Subnautica playtest group. Pat is helping to create the large volumes of concept art needed to flesh out the Subnautica world. Sergey leads the modelling and texturing of game assets, with support from Fox3D artists, including Yuri. The effects that bring the Subnautica environment to life are being created by Sylvain. Amanda is creating logos, icons, and web assets (including the design of this page!).

Hugh (Strayan) is Subnautica’s producer, allocating resources and cajoling everyone towards milestones, feature sets, and build schedules. Simon (Sy1k1) is using his brilliant audio engineering skills to create gameplay sounds and music. Lukas (AceDude) is in charge of all web development, including feedback systems, player accounts, and the very website you are reading this post on.

Together, this crew spans the globe: From the United States, to Australia, France, Thailand, Poland, Estonia, the United Kingdom and more. At every moment, of every hour, of every day – Someone, somewhere is working on Subnautica. Please chat with us on Twitter, the forums, and anywhere else you can find us. As this game takes shape, we hope that you will all become part of the team, creating an unforgettable underwater gaming experience.

Read more Subnautica posts: Blog Welcome | Descend into the Depths