Krafton has officially confirmed a leaked document about Subnautica 2 being behind schedule.
PC Gamer reported that Krafton confirmed to them that the two leaked slides from Subnautica 2 development assessment were real, without providing more details.
We reported on the development assessment last week, and it still isn’t clear how these slides and leaked or who did it. Quoting the report:
Compared to the originally planned EA (Early Access) launch specifications, the current target content volume has been reduced or adjusted across various elements such as biomes, creatures, equipment/progression, and features.
Due to a gap between the current state and the content volume assumed during the initial launch planning, it is necessary to reassess the release timeline and roadmap.
This document supports Krafton’s own claims that the management of Subnautica 2’s studio, Unknown Worlds Entertainment, had ‘abandoned their responsibilities’ when it came to development of the game. As shared by Jason Schreier on Bluesky, the three fired heads of management, CEO Ted Gill and co-founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire, filed a lawsuit against Krafton for breach of contract, after Krafton fired them from the studio.
While the details of the contract and the lawsuit are out of public view, at least for now, this does revolve around a certain detail that seems to have been revealed by the three former heads of Unknown Worlds Entertainment. Again, to cite Schreier, there was a $ 250 million payout bonus due to the studio if they hit certain revenue targets.
Of that payout, 90 % were going to Gill, Cleveland and McGuire, while staff were splitting the remaining $ 25 million, to the tune of some developers getting six figure bonuses. Since these were not tied to developer milestones but revenue targets, the developers weren’t set to get this money if they did hit their deadline, or if they launched the game in Early Access. It would be after they made a certain amount from selling the game that they payout would trigger.
While now know the claims from both sides, there isn’t quite enough information to be certain of who is telling the truth and who is at fault. Cleveland posted on reddit over a week ago claiming that Subnautica 2 was ready to go into Early Access. However, if it did turn out that fans would be unhappy with the game’s state at that point, it would hurt the game’s reputation, as well as everyone else working on it.
While, as Schreier states, ‘life-changing’ amounts of money could have been at stake with this delay, the developers’ lives could change the other way if that Early Access launch turned out poorly. Given the harsh current business environment the industry is in, this amounts to more than a small difference of opinion between the developers and publishers.
And so, we’ll have to see how this story plays out, but while their bosses clash in the courts and the public, Unknown Worlds will have to rally together to get Subnautica 2 finished at the same time.
