Natural Selection 2: The Greatest Game That Should Have Been

Natural Selection 2 should have been a legendary franchise. Instead, it’s become a cautionary tale about what happens when corporate publishers and ideological tunnel vision destroy genuinely innovative game design.

The Krafton Problem

As of 2024, Unknown Worlds Entertainment got a new CEO courtesy of their publisher, Krafton. If you’re unfamiliar with Krafton’s track record, they’re the company that systematically destroyed Kerbal Space Program and several other beloved franchises. Krafton’s acquisition of Unknown Worlds in 2021 was the beginning of the end, and the recent CEO change confirms what many suspected: Unknown Worlds Entertainment is effectively dead.

When Politics Overtakes Game Design

The developers fell into the “video games make you violent” crowd and made a bizarre decision: they would never make a proper sequel to Natural Selection 2 or fully flesh out the game they had. This wasn’t a business decision—it was ideological self-sabotage.

This flawed thinking metastasized into their flagship Subnautica series. Below Zero was noticeably dumbed down and devoid of real character. Early signs suggest Subnautica 2 continues this trend, because apparently no one at the studio has fired the people actively destroying it from within.

The Community: Toxic, But Maybe Worth It?

Let’s be honest: Natural Selection 2 has an extremely toxic, out-of-touch community that drove away most of the playerbase. The developers share some of this attitude. Your two options are getting annihilated by people who treat this game like a second job, or getting accused of smurfing and banned from the one existing noob-friendly server.

But here’s the thing: if you’re an actual giganerd willing to endure a brutal learning curve and get your shit pushed in by thousand-hour veterans, the payoff is genuinely worth it. The core gameplay loop is that good. You just need the intestinal fortitude to get repeatedly destroyed while you learn the ropes.

The Verdict

Natural Selection 2 didn’t fail on its own merits—it was deliberately sunk by a studio whose politics became more influential than their game design decisions. There won’t be a Natural Selection 3. The best we can hope for is some of the original devs forming a new studio and creating a spiritual successor.

Should You Play It?

Yes, but only if you’re willing to get your cheeks clapped repeatedly on your way up. This game demands dedication and a thick skin. If you’ve got both, there’s still nothing quite like it.

Alternatives If You’re Not Feeling Masochistic:

Natural Selection (original) – Still available as a free mod for Half-Life
Tremulous and Unvanquished – Free-to-play titles based on the original NS gameplay with proper bot support
Silica – Humans vs aliens vs humans with full RTS mechanics where players are units on the field
Executive Assault 2 – Similar concept, though you’ll be shooting robots instead of alien bugs

Natural Selection 2 deserved better than what Krafton and Unknown Worlds’ mismanagement gave it. But if you’re brave enough, the game is still there—just prepare for pain.