Subnautica 2 News

Krafton fires back at Unknown Worlds lawsuit, says Subnautica 2 was at risk of causing 'irreversible harm to the entire franchise' like Kerbal Space Program 2

Krafton has filed a response to the lawsuit brought against it by the former heads of Subnautica studio Unknown Worlds, accusing them of almost immediately abandoning their responsibilities following Krafton's acquisition of the studio despite repeated efforts to keep them onboard. The publisher is requesting an outright dismissal of the lawsuit filed against it and all claims for relief, along with legal fees and other costs...
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'Everyone's little monkey brains like shelter and food': Subnautica 2 designer says primal instinct is the reason we're so drawn to smashing blocks of wood into weapons

s someone who typically takes a rather unga bunga approach to videogames, I must admit I finally feel rather seen by Subnautica 2 designer Anthony Gallegos proclaiming that we're all monkey-brained gamers who love survival crafting because of how they tap into our most primal instincts...
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Krafton says the Subnautica 2 delay proves its milestone process is being 'rigorously managed' because it didn't just shove the game out the door even though lots of people would've bought it

July was an ugly month for Subnautica 2 and developer Unknown Worlds. In the course of fewer than 30 days, the studio's leadership was gutted, the anticipated early access release was delayed, harsh words were exchanged, and a lawsuit was filed. The dispute turns largely on whether or not Subnautica 2 is ready for early access release: The ousted leaders of Unknown Worlds insist it is, but Krafton says it needs more content and polish before it's ready to see the light of day...
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Subnautica 2 delay actually proves Krafton aren't mismanaging their games, says exec

If the messy situation regarding Subnautica 2 and those ousted studio heads has led you to wonder if publishers Krafton might be mismanaging the development of their games, the company's chief financial officer reckons you're diving in the wrong sea. According to Dongkeun Bae, Subnautica 2's delay from 2025 release to 2026 is proof that Krafton are doing a good job with that, actually.

The exec said as much via translator during a recent earnings call that, among many other things, featured the publishers' own version of the events surrounding Striking Distance CEO Steve Papoutsis being parachuted in at Unknown Worlds to replace senior executives Charlie Cleveland, Max McGuire, and Ted Gill last month. Whether Subnautica 2 was genuinely ready to release in early access this year is a key part of the whole fracas. Krafton say no, the three fired leads say yes, and now the latter are suing. The complicating factor is that there was a big bonus for the studio's workers tied to the game releasing this year.

The dramatic dismissal of three senior developers at Subnautica 2 studio Unknown Worlds gets messier by the day. In a publicly filed lawsuit, the three fired heads of the studio have accused publishers Krafton of all sorts of dirty tactics, ploys, and shenanigans to purposefully delay the game until 2026, all in an intentional effort to avoid paying a maximum $250 million earnout bonus to the studio.

In one bizarre episode alleged in the lawsuit, Unknown Worlds co-founder Charlie Cleveland went to lunch with Krafton CEO, Kim Chang-han, who told him via translator that having to pay such an earnout would be "disastrous financially and hugely embarrassing" for the publisher.