Krafton has filed new legal papers answering the lawsuit initiated by the former leadership of Subnautica 2 developer, Unknown Worlds, alleging the “absence” of founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire “has began to impact the development team.”
Details of the legal complaint against Krafton, Inc. by the former leadership of Subnautica 2 developer Unknown Worlds became public last month. The complaint concerns a $250 million bonus payout tied to revenue targets for the 2025 Early Access release of Subnautica 2, which the former shareholders of Unknown Worlds Entertainment, represented by Fortis Advisors LLC – allege owners Krafton, Inc. sought to avoid paying out by delaying the game using “pressure tactics”.
In a new statement, Krafton said “at the heart of every decision Krafton makes are the fans, who deserve the best possible experience,” adding: “This legal action is not just about protecting business interests — it is a continuation of Krafton’s commitment to delivering an authentic experience to its players.” In the legal response, Krafton insists the development lead for Subnautica 2 noted the “first [early access period] and second EA (planned for December 2025) would only be ‘about 12% of our intended 1.0 scope’ and joked that ‘at that rate we would be in development for 30 years.'”
The publisher said it had “requested a delay” in releasing the highly-anticipated sequel in early access to “safeguard the quality of Subnautica 2 and maintain player trust.”
In the filing itself, Krafton once again claims it asked the co-founders “to return and lead development” — “an offer they declined” — and alleges that “at every turn during development, the Key Employees were laser focused on avoiding ‘a timeline that doesn’t tank the earnout opportunity.'”
“The Key Employees […] were willing to gamble with the release of any game, even one that would damage the Company’s goodwill, in time for them to maximize their earnout at the expense of the Company,” Krafton’s lawyers added.
“We believe the facts speak for themselves,” Krafton stated. “This answer reflects our commitment to protecting both the Subnautica IP and the global community that has supported it for years.”
Read our timeline of the former Subnautica 2 leads versus Krafton here.