Subnautica 2 Delayed

Business

10 July 2025 11:36

Krafton has postponed the early access release of Subnautica 2 to 2026, a move that arrives in the wake of major leadership changes at developer Unknown Worlds — and just ahead of a massive performance-based bonus payout.

According to a report by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, the decision to delay the sequel to the popular underwater survival game was made despite opposition from the studio’s former executives. The delay effectively jeopardizes a $250 million bonus package that would have been awarded to Unknown Worlds if specific revenue milestones were met by the end of 2025.

Leadership at Unknown Worlds was recently shaken up after Krafton removed key figures including studio co-founder Charlie Cleveland, technical director Max McGuire, and CEO Ted Gill. Cleveland, who played a central role in the creation of the Subnautica franchise, has publicly questioned the motivations behind the delay. In a Reddit post, he claimed the game was indeed ready for early access and implied the postponement may have been financially motivated.

More:Ninjas in Pyjamas Partners with Shikenso

"Unknown Worlds’ leadership planned to share the additional money with all of the studio’s employees, which number around 100," Schreier wrote. "Staff who were at the company at the time of the acquisition were told they were eligible for bonuses ranging from hundreds of thousands of dollars to seven figures, the people said."

The change in direction now rests with new CEO Steve Papoutsis, who reportedly told staff that the delay was based on the game not being ready for release. When questioned by an employee about whether the decision was aimed at avoiding the milestone payout, Papoutsis responded that he was “not familiar with the specifics.”

Tags: Krafton

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Subnautica 2 Delayed

Business

10 July 2025 11:36

Tags: Krafton

Krafton has postponed the early access release of Subnautica 2 to 2026, a move that arrives in the wake of major leadership changes at developer Unknown Worlds — and just ahead of a massive performance-based bonus payout.

According to a report by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, the decision to delay the sequel to the popular underwater survival game was made despite opposition from the studio’s former executives. The delay effectively jeopardizes a $250 million bonus package that would have been awarded to Unknown Worlds if specific revenue milestones were met by the end of 2025.

Leadership at Unknown Worlds was recently shaken up after Krafton removed key figures including studio co-founder Charlie Cleveland, technical director Max McGuire, and CEO Ted Gill. Cleveland, who played a central role in the creation of the Subnautica franchise, has publicly questioned the motivations behind the delay. In a Reddit post, he claimed the game was indeed ready for early access and implied the postponement may have been financially motivated.

More:Ninjas in Pyjamas Partners with Shikenso

"Unknown Worlds’ leadership planned to share the additional money with all of the studio’s employees, which number around 100," Schreier wrote. "Staff who were at the company at the time of the acquisition were told they were eligible for bonuses ranging from hundreds of thousands of dollars to seven figures, the people said."

The change in direction now rests with new CEO Steve Papoutsis, who reportedly told staff that the delay was based on the game not being ready for release. When questioned by an employee about whether the decision was aimed at avoiding the milestone payout, Papoutsis responded that he was “not familiar with the specifics.”

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