Ex Subnautica 2 leadership "abandoned" their responsibilities, Krafton claims

Just when you thought the Subnautica 2 and Unknown Worlds saga couldn't get any wilder, it does. Krafton, the parent company of Unknown Worlds that ousted three key leaders last week, has issued a lengthy statement explaining its decision. In this message, Krafton claims that the trio "abandoned the responsibilities entrusted to them." It also says that the studio's two co-founders refused to return to the development roles they held while creating the first Subnautica to help push the upcoming sequel along.

So, as a very swift recap. Last week, Unknown Worlds co-founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire and president Ted Gill were unexpectedly replaced with a new CEO, Steve Papoutsis, who was most recently at the helm of The Callisto Protocol developer Striking Distance. There wasn't much in the way of communication as to why the trio was let go, with Cleveland claiming after his departure that Subnautica 2 was "ready" to launch in early access this year.

Just yesterday, a report from Bloomberg alleged that the Subnautica 2 release date would be pushed back to 2026 - something Krafton officially confirmed a few hours later. The report also claimed that if Unknown Worlds had hit certain revenue targets before the end of 2025, its staff would've been eligible for a colossal $250 million bonus payout.

Now, Krafton is trying to set the record straight. In an extraordinary statement, it heavily criticizes Cleveland, McGuire, and Gill and acknowledges the existence of the $250 million payout - the majority of which would've apparently gone to the previous leadership team.

"We allocated approximately 90% of the up to $250 million earn-out compensation to the three former executives, with the expectation that they would demonstrate leadership and active involvement in the development of Subnautica 2," Krafton says.

"However, regrettably, the former leadership abandoned the responsibilities entrusted to them. Subnautica 2 was originally planned for an Early Access launch in early 2024, but the timeline has since been significantly delayed. Krafton made multiple requests to Charlie and Max to resume their roles as Game Director and Technical Director, respectively, but both declined to do so. In particular, following the failure of Moonbreaker [Unknown Worlds' previous game], Krafton asked Charlie to devote himself to the development of Subnautica 2. However, instead of participating in the game development, he chose to focus on a personal film project.

"Krafton believes that the absence of core leadership has resulted in repeated confusion in direction and significant delays in the overall project schedule. The current Early Access version also falls short in terms of content volume.

"We are deeply disappointed by the former leadership's conduct, and above all, we feel a profound sense of betrayal by their failure to honor the trust placed in them by our fans."

Wow. This is a remarkable, scathing statement. Cleveland and McGuire were particularly cherished by fans for their roles in creating the original Subnautica, and as a result there was initially uproar at their removal. But if what Krafton says is true, this paints the situation in a very different light. While highly critical of the departed trio, Krafton's message is full of praise for the developers actively working on the game, saying that it "will continue to provide full and unwavering support" to them.

"Krafton has committed to fair and equitable compensation for all remaining Unknown Worlds employees who have continuously and tirelessly contributed to Subnautica 2's development. We believe that the dedication and effort of this team are at the very heart of Subnautica's ongoing evolution, and we reaffirm our commitment to provide the rewards they were promised." Again a positive sentiment, but it's worth nothing that this by no means guarantees that the extraordinary $250 million payout will still arrive.

I've got to say, I'm completely blown away by this. There will still be sceptics who believe that all of this upheaval was a result of Krafton trying to wriggle out of paying that massive bonus to the studio's old leadership. But I also highly doubt the accusations Krafton made today are completely baseless. It will be very interesting to see if Cleveland (the most vocal of the trio since their removal), McGuire, or Gill publicly comment on these allegations.

We'll of course keep you posted with any more developments about Unknown Worlds and Subnautica 2, but in the meantime, here are some brilliant survival games that you can dive into right away. You could also check out our best gaming keyboard guide if you're looking to spruce up your peripherals.

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