'Subnautica 2' Rollout Delayed Amidst Krafton Shakeups
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A possible explanation has surfaced for why the leadership team behind Subnautica developer Unknown Worlds was recently fired from their positions and why the game’s release has once again been delayed.
According to a report from Bloomberg, the game’s publisher, Krafton Inc., is delaying the game’s expected early access release to avoid paying a $250 million bonus to the game’s development team. Part of Krafton’s purchase agreement of Unknown Worlds back in 2018, the financial bonus is only achieved if the smaller company hits certain revenue targets by the end of 2025. The recently announced choice to delay the game, while apparently sold internally as a move to improve quality, conveniently lets Krafton avoid paying this bonus, as Subnautica 2 is incredibly anticipated by eager fans who would have surely helped Unknown Worlds hit the required threshold. The firing of the leadership followed their strong disagreement with Krafton’s plans, and now allows the company to proceed without the same opposition.
When asked for comment about this report, Krafton did not reply, while the new CEO of Unknown Worlds, Steve Papoutsis, is quoted in Bloomberg’s report as publicly and privately claiming ignorance about the financial deal while also affirming the change in the game’s release date is for the sake of quality.
If Bloomberg’s report is true, then it represents a worrying future for other recently acquired game development teams like Tango Gameworks, and paints Krafton Inc. in a negative light despite the PR win they earned in saving Tango last year.
Regardless of this reporting, Subnautica 2 is now set to release in early access in 2026, and it is unlikely Krafton will reverse course.
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