Been that way for a while. The normal chests used to do the same thing, but that somehow caused problems with the ones out in the world that contained random loot because they wouldn’t respawn or something if left open. That issue was eventually fixed.

Storage chests players build and put in their base I guess I don’t mind so much having this behavior. I think I’d prefer it close automatically, but it does currently give you the option of leaving it open for decorative purposes if you want. (Although it also brings that old toilet seat argument into the game as well I suppose. :stuck_out_tongue: )

Anyway, I just got into the habit of using the interact button to exit the storage containers rather than esc.