Krafton (publisher of Subnautica 2) has allegedly sabotaged the release schedule of Subnautica 2 into early access so they could A) avoid a contractual agreement to pay a large bonus to the original founders of Unknown Worlds if they managed to release Subnautica 2 into early access no later than 2025, and B) so that they could assume ownership over Unknown Worlds itself.

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Gaming
Subnautica 2 devs sue publisher after getting fired over game delay

by
Jessica Filby
Published: Jul 11, 2025, 10:39

Subnautica 2’s delay has been met with substantial kickback from its developers, Unknown Worlds, who are now suing the game’s publishers, Krafton.

This comes after a considerable amount of controversy involving lost payments, fired owners, and now a lawsuit.

Known for their work on inZOI and PUBG, Krafton has been working on Subnautica 2, the sequel to the incredibly popular 2014 underwater adventure. However, instead of it coming out in 2025 as many thought, the publishers pushed the release to 2026, supposedly costing the team developing it, Unknown Worlds, hundreds of thousands of dollars each.

What’s more is that this came shortly after Unknown Worlds’ co-founders, Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire, and CEO Ted Gill were fired from their positions. Shortly after, Charlie confirmed the delay came from the publisher, insisting it was “ready for early access release” but the “decision is in Krafton’s hands.”

Unknown Worlds co-founder sues Subnautica 2 publisher

Now, the situation has escalated even further, after Charlie Cleveland shared that they’ve now “filed a lawsuit against Krafton.” ...

https://www.dexerto.com/gaming/subnautica-2-devs-sue-publisher-after-getting-fired-over-game-delay-losing-millions-3225566/

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=T7vi9ZC_YHQ