Krafton has delayed the release of Subnautica 2, right before the game’s development team was reportedly set to receive a substantial bonus for reaching previously determined revenue targets.
Subnautica 2 is being developed by Unknown Worlds, which Krafton acquired in 2021. Word of the game’s delay comes just a week after Krafton ousted key members of Unknown Worlds’ development and leadership team, including Charlie Cleveland, who was game director on the original Subnautica.
The highly anticipated underwater sequel was slated for an early access release this year, however Krafton has moved that window back to an unspecified date in 2026. According to a report by Bloomberg, this change happened mere months before Krafton was expected to pay the development team a $250m bonus, which would have applied had the studio met certain revenue targets by the end of this year.
Due to the game’s delayed release, Unknown Worlds is now unlikely to be able to meet these targets, sources told the publication, meaning that it will miss out on the payout. According to Bloomberg, this delay was not supported by the former leadership at Unknown Worlds, who had planned to share the bonus with all studio employees.
Krafton stated it had delayed the release of Subnautica 2 to improve the game’s quality following feedback from playtests. “It was not influenced by any contractual or financial considerations,” Krafton claimed.
Last week, Unknown Worlds founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire, as well as chief executive officer Ted Gill, were all “pushed out” from the studio by Krafton. Following his dismissal, Cleveland shared a statement on reddit, where he called the events of the week “quite a shock”. In this same post, he said Subnautica 2 was ready for its early access debut.
“And while we thought this was going to be our decision to make, at least for now, that decision is in Krafton’s hands. And after all these years, to find that I’m no longer able to work at the company I started stings,” Cleveland wrote.
“I want you to know that whatever happens to the founders, to the team and to the game, our priority is, and has always been, to make the best damned game we can for the best community in the world… And I also want you to know that this is not where the story ends.”
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Now that Cleveland, McGuire and Gill have been removed from the company, Striking Distance Studios CEO Steve Papoutsis has been put in charge of Unknown Worlds. Earlier this week, Papoutsis reportedly said Krafton did not believe that Subnautica 2 was ready to be released in early access in 2025, and more content was needed.
In audio listened to by Bloomberg, the new studio head was further questioned about the motives for the delay beyond this, including if the $250m bonus was a factor. “It’s a good question, and I would appreciate patience on this particular topic,” Papoutsis replied during the meeting, adding he was not familiar with the specifics of Krafton’s acquisition of Unknown Worlds or the contract itself at the present time.
“The desire of Krafton is to have the very best version of Subnautica 2 available for its early access,” he continued. “While yes, the software that everybody worked on is in a great spot and it felt like, ‘Hey we should launch this,’ that wasn’t where both parties aligned around.” Papoutsis added: “it’s never been told to me that we’re making this change specifically to impact any earnout or anything like that”.
Eurogamer has asked Krafton for comment on today’s report.