Posted in: Games, Krafton, Video Games | Tagged: Subnautica, Subnautica 2

Krafton Addresses Subnautica 2 Changes While Devs Issue Lawsuit

Krafton took time to issue a statement about changes for Subnautica 2, while the former developers announced an impending lawsuit

Krafton sent out a giant update to Subnautica fans today, letting players know why they have yet to see an Early Access version of Subnautica 2, let alone the full game. In what reads like very well put-together press release about bad news, the company has changed the leadership behind the game's development, specifically calling out Unknown Worlds' Charlie Cleveland, Ted Gill, and Max McGuire, all of whom were fired by Krafton last week. Here's the statement from the company.

Subnautica 2 – Background of Leadership Change

Krafton deeply values Subnautica's unique creativity and immersive world-building. To provide fans with even better gaming experiences, we acquired Unknown Worlds, fully committed to supporting Subnautica's future success. We collaborated closely with the studio's leadership, who were central to the creation of the original Subnautica, to foster the optimal environment for a successful Subnautica 2. Specifically, in addition to the initial $500 million purchase price, 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.

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, 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.

In response to this, Cleveland took to Reddit to let fans know they have filed a lawsuit against Krafton, which we have his statement for you here. The short version to all this is we're probably not going to see the game for a long time to come, as Krafton has pushed the EA version to 2026, and that's under the assumption that the lawsuit doesn't put development in limbo. We'll keep an eye on this and see what develops.

Charlie Cleveland Response

It continues to be an explosive and surreal time for the Subnautica team and community. None of this is what we wanted. But we truly appreciate the amazing support we've gotten from everyone. It means a lot to us, especially now. As I wrote last week, we know in our souls that the game is ready for Early Access – that's just how we roll. And we'd like nothing more than for you to play it (game devs live for this). But it's not currently under our control.

We've now filed a lawsuit against Krafton: the details should eventually become (at least mostly) public – you all deserve the full story. Suing a multi-billion dollar company in a painful, public and possibly protracted way was certainly not on my bucket list. But this needs to be made right. Subnautica has been my life's work and I would never willingly abandon it or the amazing team that has poured their hearts into it. As for the earnout, the idea that Max, Ted and I wanted to keep it all for ourselves is totally untrue. I'm in this industry because I love it, not for riches. Historically we've always shared our profits with the team and did the same when we sold the studio. You can be damned sure we'll continue with the earnout/bonus as well. They deserve it for all their incredible work trying to get this great game into your hands.

Stay tuned. -Charlie

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