By this time, Below Zero had been fully released for over a year (since May 2021). Discussions often centered on its departure from the original's formula:

: A long-requested feature from Below Zero —the ability to pin crafting recipes to your HUD—was made available in the original game, streamlining resource gathering. Community Sentiments (December 2022)

: Many players noted that Below Zero shifted focus from pure survival to a more structured, narrative-driven experience featuring voiced protagonists like Robin and Al-An.

While there isn’t a specific blog post from December 19, 2022, that date follows one of the most significant moments in the franchise's history: the release of the on December 13, 2022. This update unified the codebase of both games , backporting several advanced features from Below Zero into the original Subnautica . The "Living Large" Impact

: The map was smaller and more vertical than the original, with a heavier emphasis on land-based exploration using the Snowfox vehicle.

: As the signature vehicle of Below Zero , the modular Seatruck replaced both the Seamoth and the Cyclops, a change that remains one of the game's most debated design choices.