The former leadership of Unknown Worlds has filed a lawsuit against Krafton.
The filing – reported by Bloomberg – insists that the Korean games giant put pressure on the studio to bump Subnautica 2 beyond its 2025 release date; it also reiterates a point made by ex-creative director and co-founder Charlie Cleveland, who has previously said that the game was ready to come out this year in Early Access.
Under the terms of its acquisition of Unknown Worlds, Krafton had left operational responsibilities up to the studio, meaning that they were free to release the game whenever it wanted. The lawsuit alleges that the Korean firm took steps to delay the game, such as pulling marketing materials, being non-commital on "crucial partnerships" and pulling back from "long-standing commitments to handle important pre-launch tasks".
All this, the former Unknown Worlds management claims, was to get out of a $250 million payment. This follows Krafton firing founders Ted Gill, Charlie Cleveland, and Max McGuire, and replacing them with industry vet Steve Papoutsis.
"Krafton's first decision upon taking over? To delay the launch of Subnautica 2 until sometime in 2026," the filing continued.
"That way, Krafton could keep the game's revenue for itself, while avoiding the $250 million earnout it would likely have owed the Founders and other Unknown Worlds employees."
In its own statement to Aftermath, Krafton added that its "decisions were made to ensure Subnautica 2 is the best possible game and lives up to fan expectations. Releasing the game prematurely with insufficient content, falling short of what fans expect in a sequel, would have both disappointed the players — who are at the heart of everything Krafton does — and damaged the reputations of both the Subnautica and Unknown Worlds brands. While we are disappointed that Charlie, Max, and Ted have filed a lawsuit seeking a huge payout, we look forward to defending ourselves in court. In the meantime, Krafton remains focused on what matters: delivering the best possible game as quickly as possible to Subnautica’s fans."
