Interview: Inside Stranded Deep 2's Desert Reinvention

Stranded Deep 2 takes the survival series away from the Pacific and into an endless desert river. In development at North Beach Games Prague, a studio formed in 2024 that brought together original creator Sam Edwards and the team behind Space Engineers, the sequel builds on the original's survival and exploration while introducing a new setting, houseboats, and an expanded Cartographer.

We spoke to Sam Edwards, Creative Director of Stranded Deep 2 and co-creator of the original, about the thinking behind the desert setting, the return of custom map creation, the changes to building and co-op, and how player feedback has shaped the sequel.

Why the desert? 

As detailed in the studio's New Ground dev blog, the idea began as a simple inversion of Stranded Deep: instead of a large ocean dotted with small islands, a large desert dotted with oasis "islands". The river is what made the concept click, giving the team a way to carry over what players loved about the original while changing the environment around it.

The desert wasn't the only option, however. We asked Edwards why the team didn't go somewhere more drastic, such as the arctic. He says the team considered a number of settings towards the end of development on the first game, including the arctic, forest, and even a backyard sandbox in the vein of Grounded.

“The arctic and dense forest environments had already been explored in games like The Long Dark, The Forest, and Green Hell. The desert felt like the next evolution for us and had everything we needed in a setting that hasn’t been exhausted yet.”

Co-op and multiplayer

For players who spent their time in Stranded Deep playing split-screen, the sequel brings a significant change. We asked whether local co-op would return, or whether the team had considered a shared-copy model like It Takes Two. 

“We don’t plan to support split-screen co-op for SD2. The shared copy model isn’t something we’re working on right now, but anything that lowers the barrier for players to get into the game is something we care about.” 

A campfire lights up the desert at night

Multiplayer is also changing, and we wanted to know what players could expect from co-op and character customisation. 

“Co-op will support up to 4 players. There will be ways to personalize your appearance and stand out, especially for co-op.”

We also asked whether SD2 will have built-in voice or proximity chat, something that could make communication easier for larger groups.

“Not at the moment. Stranded Deep is typically played with friends,” says Edwards, “and most groups already use Discord, which is built-in to many platforms these days. We’ll keep evaluating features like this based on community feedback.” 

The Cartographer returns

The Cartographer was one of the original game's most distinctive tools, letting players create custom islands and add them to their worlds. With Stranded Deep 2 built around an endless river instead, that raises the question of how custom maps will fit into the new structure, and whether players will still have the same freedom to create and share their own environments.

“The Cartographer is a cornerstone of Stranded Deep and is coming back bigger and better.”

As in the original, players will be able to create custom maps in the map editor and place them in the world, and the team is fine-tuning how to give players control over where those maps appear along the endless river. Sharing is also getting a major upgrade.

“Uploading and downloading content will be built directly into the Cartographer menu.''

The aim, Edwards says, is to give players more tools and make it easier to share their creations with friends and the wider community.

Building on the river

Building is also changing, with the sequel taking a different approach to how players construct their bases. We asked about the direction of the new system, including whether the team had looked at the more freeform approach seen in games such as Sons of the Forest 2.

“Our main goal is to give you choice over the appearance of your structures. We experimented with a lot of prototypes early on, but many felt out of place or gave you freedom over the shape but not the appearance.”

Edwards says the final system puts more emphasis on materials and progression, giving players more control over how their structures look as they explore.

“The system we’ve landed on strikes a good balance, allowing you to choose the multiple materials that make up each piece. As you explore to find better materials, you craft better looking and more durable things, so your creations become a showcase of where you’ve been.”

Crocodiles are among the wildlife players will encounter in Stranded Deep 2

Houseboats add another consideration, since the structures players build can travel with them. We asked how much their construction will affect where players can take them, particularly as different stretches of the river may call for different approaches. Edwards says houseboats are about flexibility and freedom.

“What you build affects where you can take it. You will need to think about the size and durability of your raft for different stretches of the river.”

Players might build a small, agile raft that can handle most conditions, or a larger mobile base that they anchor while using a kayak to explore tighter sections. The team is still dialing in the details, with the goal of making those decisions feel interesting rather than annoying.

Listening to the community

Looking back at the original also raises the question of how much player feedback shaped the direction of the sequel, particularly when it came to features players had been asking for. 

“We started by asking: what did players love, and what didn’t work? We went through a tonne of feedback looking at what people enjoyed, what frustrated them, and what they were asking for.”

Edwards points to houseboats as one example of a feature that grew directly from that feedback.

“Houseboats are a good example. Players requested this feature for a long time and it made perfect sense for our new river setting. We’ve also made big improvements to things players told us needed work, like a more traditional inventory system and many quality-of-life upgrades. The community’s feedback has been a huge part of how we’ve approached the sequel. Stranded Deep 2 will feel like a modern, polished evolution that stays true to what made the original special.”

Stranded Deep 2 is in development at North Beach Games Prague and is set to launch into Early Access in 2027.