Subnautica 2 fans are seriously concerned about Unknown Worlds’ upcoming underwater survival game following news of a major leadership shakeup at the studio.

Yesterday, it was announced by Krafton that Unknown Worlds has a new CEO, Steve Papoutsis – chief executive officer of The Callisto Protocol developer Striking Distance Studios – who’s taking over the role “effective immediately.” Original Subnautica director and Unknown Worlds co-founder Charlie Cleveland is leaving the company, as is CEO Ted Gill and co-founder Max McGuire.

In the statement, it was noted: “While Krafton sought to keep the Unknown Worlds’ co-founders and original creators of the Subnautica series involved in the game’s development, the company wishes them well on their next endeavors.”

As you might expect, Subnautica fans aren’t taking the news very well. Subnautica 2 is set to release into early access at some point this year, so to make such a sudden team change now is quite worrisome, with one fan concerned that the sequel is “dead before arrival.”

“I’m scared to know what this means for the future of Subnautica 2,” writes one fan, reacting to the news on Reddit. “Please tell me the game isn’t cooked, PLEASE tell me the game isn’t cooked,” another pleads.

Others are also expressing hesitance over diving into the game as soon as it’s available. “I was 100% set on buying it day one, but now I’m going to wait. I have a bad feeling about this,” one says. “I guess I’ll not be buying until it’s properly released and reviewed,” another agrees.

Subnautica 2 hadn’t been given an exact early access release date yet, and it’s not clear if it could be delayed at all given the leadership changes – Krafton didn’t say so in its announcement, but claimed that the shift is to “prioritize development momentum” and deliver the “best possible fan experience” when that launch does come around.

For now, you can check out our roundup of the best survival games to play today.