The rollout of the latest trailer for Subnautica 2 hasn't gone very smoothly for Unknown Worlds and its parent company, Krafton. Instead of admiring the new footage, fans are laser-focused on the forced exits of Unknown Worlds' leadership team and a subsequent report that Subnautica 2's delay may cause the Unknown Worlds team to lose out on a promised $250 million bonus. That led to some players calling for a boycott of Subnautica 2, which has in turn led to an eye-opening statement from Krafton claiming that the "inevitable leadership change [was] driven by project abandonment."
As originally reported by Bloomberg, Unknown Worlds' entire team was reportedly going to receive a share of a $250 million bonus if the company hit its financial goals in 2025. Those goals may have been predicated on Subnautica 2 receiving an early-access release this year. A poster on Reddit contends that, "This delay is simply so [Krafton doesn't] have to give those bonuses. They've already made $250 million dollars off of scamming developers. Don't let them make more."
The Reddit post was initially locked and has now been removed by moderators of the Subnautica subreddit. It had amassed more than 45,000 upvotes.
Charlie Cleveland--one of the recently ousted founders of Unknown Worlds--has stated that Subnautica 2 is ready for an early-access release. But he added that the decision is now in Krafton's hands, with the plan now being for Subnautica 2 to release on Xbox Series X|S and PC in 2026.
Following an initial, less-specific statement attempting to explain the recent moves, Krafton has responded with a lengthier, scorched-earth statement in an attempt to provide further rationale for the move, including how it impacts potential bonuses for staffers.
Krafton specifically addresses its $500 million purchase price of Unknown Worlds, saying it had apportioned 90% of a $250 million payout to three now-former executives "with the expectation that they would demonstrate leadership and active involvement in the development of Subnautica 2." It contends the three "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," the statement continues. "Krafton made multiple requests to Charlie and Max [McGuire] 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," it added, saying the unreleased early-access version "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," it said.
Regarding the bonuses, Krafton said, "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."
Exactly what it's committing to is unclear. When asked for clarification, a spokesperson told GameSpot, "Krafton is working on a fair and equitable compensation for those who have contributed to Subnautica 2's continued development. We recognize that their dedication and effort are at the very heart of Subnautica’s ongoing evolution. We will have further details going forward."
GameSpot has reached out to Cleveland for comment and will report back if the former studio leadership addresses these allegations.
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As originally reported by Bloomberg, Unknown Worlds' entire team was reportedly going to receive a share of a $250 million bonus if the company hit its financial goals in 2025. Those goals may have been predicated on Subnautica 2 receiving an early-access release this year. A poster on Reddit contends that, "This delay is simply so [Krafton doesn't] have to give those bonuses. They've already made $250 million dollars off of scamming developers. Don't let them make more."
The Reddit post was initially locked and has now been removed by moderators of the Subnautica subreddit. It had amassed more than 45,000 upvotes.
Charlie Cleveland--one of the recently ousted founders of Unknown Worlds--has stated that Subnautica 2 is ready for an early-access release. But he added that the decision is now in Krafton's hands, with the plan now being for Subnautica 2 to release on Xbox Series X|S and PC in 2026.
Following an initial, less-specific statement attempting to explain the recent moves, Krafton has responded with a lengthier, scorched-earth statement in an attempt to provide further rationale for the move, including how it impacts potential bonuses for staffers.
Krafton specifically addresses its $500 million purchase price of Unknown Worlds, saying it had apportioned 90% of a $250 million payout to three now-former executives "with the expectation that they would demonstrate leadership and active involvement in the development of Subnautica 2." It contends the three "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," the statement continues. "Krafton made multiple requests to Charlie and Max [McGuire] 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," it added, saying the unreleased early-access version "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," it said.
Regarding the bonuses, Krafton said, "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."
Exactly what it's committing to is unclear. When asked for clarification, a spokesperson told GameSpot, "Krafton is working on a fair and equitable compensation for those who have contributed to Subnautica 2's continued development. We recognize that their dedication and effort are at the very heart of Subnautica’s ongoing evolution. We will have further details going forward."
GameSpot has reached out to Cleveland for comment and will report back if the former studio leadership addresses these allegations.
Source