Drama surrounding "Subnautica 2": Fired developers and publisher go to court
11.7.2025
Translation: machine translated
"Subnautica 2" is eagerly awaited - but will now be released later. This is apparently due to a dispute between the studio bosses who were sacked last week and the publisher.
The studio cites feedback from initial playtests as the official reason for the postponement: «A few areas» still need to be improved before the Early Access launch. The additional time will allow more biomes, more vehicle upgrades, more tools and more animals to be added. The story can also be rolled out more broadly. Along with the press release, the studio published a first gameplay trailer.
So far, so good (or bad). But the postponed release is just the tip of the iceberg: there has been a lot of rumbling behind the scenes in recent days. Details are gradually coming to light.
Postponement follows the dismissal of the management team
The game is now ready for Early Access.
Was it about preventing a bonus payment?
According to Bloomberg, which cites sources who do not wish to be named, Krafton pushed through the postponement against the will of the (former) management team. Due to the later release of «Subnautica 2», the target agreements can no longer be fulfilled - the bonus is forfeited.
Serious accusations by Krafton
Cleveland, Gill and McGuire, however, had not complied despite repeated requests. Cleveland preferred to devote himself to a private film project instead. The early access release of «Subnautica 2» was originally planned for early 2024, but the lack of leadership caused long delays. However, the rest of the development team continues to enjoy the full support of Krafton.
The statement concludes with the exceptionally clear words: «The behaviour of the previous leadership has deeply disappointed us and we feel betrayed because they have not honoured the trust our fans have placed in them».
Beginning of a war of the roses: lawsuits to follow
The fired team leaders are not prepared to take these accusations lying down. Cleveland takes a stand on Reddit. He reiterates that «Subnautica 2» is ready for release. He and his two colleagues have now filed a lawsuit against Krafton.
Subnautica is his life's work and things need to be set right. «Suing a multi-billion dollar company in a painful, public and perhaps protracted lawsuit was certainly not on my wish list», he writes. He does not specify whether he received the bonus payment, as Krafton states - but he makes it clear that the money, like all previous profits, was intended to be shared with the entire team.
What the development status of «Subnautica 2» actually looks like is unknown. However, it seems that the dispute between the founders and fathers of the game and the publisher is casting a shadow over further development.
Header image: Unknown Worlds
Feels just as comfortable in front of a gaming PC as she does in a hammock in the garden. Likes the Roman Empire, container ships and science fiction books. Focuses mostly on unearthing news stories about IT and smart products.
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