Krafton is no longer listed as the publisher of Subnautica 2 on its Steam page, with subsidiary Unknown Worlds now appearing as both developer and publisher.
The companies have a complicated relationship, to put it mildly. PUBG publisher Krafton acquired Subnautica developer Unknown Worlds in 2021, and then last year fired the studio’s leadership ahead of Subnautica 2’s planned early access launch. Unknown Worlds CEO Ted Gill sued, alleging that Krafton only fired the studio heads to avoid paying out a $250 million bonus which would be triggered if Subnautica 2 hit certain performance goals. A judge agreed, and Krafton had to reinstate Gill as CEO.
Krafton’s name now being stricken from Subnautica 2’s Steam page (as well as its Xbox store listing) has some speculating that the two companies are preparing to split, but that is only speculation. Krafton still owns Unknown Worlds, and the change may purely be cosmetic.
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Reached for comment, a Krafton representative told PC Gamer that “Krafton is currently focused on successfully supporting the early access launch of Subnautica 2” and that it has nothing else to share.
After its loss in court, Krafton announced that Subnautica 2 would release in May, but that was news to the returning Unknown Worlds CEO, who accused Krafton of sowing confusion by announcing a release window he hadn’t approved.
A for-real Subnautica 2 early access release date is still to be determined, and thanks to an extension from the judge, Gill doesn’t have to launch the game until September 15 to be eligible for the $250 million bonus at the center of the lawsuit.
Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier reported last year that, should Subnautica 2 meet the necessary revenue targets to trigger the bonus, a portion of it will be shared among some of Unknown Worlds’ staff. Subnautica 2 is currently the most wishlisted game on Steam.
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I’ve reached out to Unknown Worlds for comment on the change, and will update this post if I receive more information.
