Once Human Interview Details October Ocean Update Isles Of Abyss
The update is the studio's bid to hold the open-world survival audience by making the map itself the threat, after the game widened from PC to mobile and to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S in August 2026.
Reporting from 1 source: Game Spark.
NetEase Games and Starry Studio's survival game Once Human is getting its largest update since launch in October, the ocean update Isles of Abyss. Head of Operations Derek Qiu told Game Spark the sea is designed as a single gigantic life form, with ghost ships, strange lighthouses, and ship building that forces trade-offs, and said the sea was planned from the start of development.
The sea was planned from the start. Derek Qiu, head of operations for Once Human, said the map at launch already showed sea at the edges of the world, but making it a full play area took time to polish. In October the sea becomes the setting itself, with weather and the surrounding environment threatening the player, alongside ghost ships and strange lighthouses. The survival loop runs from exploring islands for resources to building and upgrading a ship, then heading back out. Weapons and armor add combat strength but also weight, so a ship slowed by upgrades may not outrun a sudden storm. Qiu said there is no perfect ship, and the choices made to adapt to the environment are part of the gameplay.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.