Former Subnautica 2 leader accuses Krafton Hindering Game release to avoid paying $250 million in bonus

The plot continues to get thicker in the ongoing battle between Subnautica 2 Studio’s Unknown World and parent company Krafton, and now the studio’s founder alleges Krafton has done his best to hinder Subnautica 2’s development, delaying the game, and eventually freeing employees they released in the studio in the studio, which could pay $25 million to pay $25 million in time.

In a new unrelated complaint Reported by Bloomberg and Consequence Sharingformer Unknown World CEO Ted Gill, and co-founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire claim their relationship with Krafton and the development of the game until 2025, leaders showed Krafters new revenue forecasts that were expected to be seen as a result of the initials. They also said they tried to negotiate for developers who later joined the team and are currently not eligible for the bonus.

The former leader claimed that after learning about the incident, Crafton began to suggest that the game was delayed, allegedly combing through a contract to determine whether they have a legal status to force delays, although the contract stated that the decision with the unknown world was a ruling. They said Crafton even took action to make it difficult or impossible to release on time. Krafton began providing feedback that the game wasn't ready for early access launches, launching marketing materials, and refusing to keep some pre-explosion commitments. Eventually, the founder said it peaked in Crafton, allowing the three to go earlier this month and officially postponed Subnautica 2.

Although Krafton extended the bonus period and the rest of the employees earned their income when the target was hit, Krafton claimed that former leaders were eligible for a 90% bonus, meaning Crafton only had to pay $25 million if the target was achieved, rather than $250 million.

The founder’s lawsuit accused Crafton of breach of the contract and demanded payment of all the promised bonuses and damages and other expenses.

The drama around Subnautica 2 begins early this month Caffton suddenly announced It is effectively replacing three founders, Jill, Cleveland and McGuire with former striking distance CEO Steve Papoutsis Claimed to be “shocked” to them. In the following weeks, there have been reports of a $250 million bonus for employees, and Krafton has published charges accusing former leaders of neglecting duties and saying Subnautica 2 is not in an acceptable state of startup. In particular, Coffton claimed Cleveland was told to stop investing time in personal projects and focus on his duties in the studio. litigation, Submitted last weekcounter that this individual project is a secondary film and has been carried out at the explicit request of Crafton.

The preparation for Subnautica 2 remains an open question. Leaked files since Verified by Krafton Confirm Unknown World is receiving feedback from publishers that the game is not ready for early access. However, a Bloomberg report is providing litigation from developers as well as founders on the project, which shows that it is in good condition.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior journalist at IGN. You can find her post on bluesky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Is there a story tip? Send it to [email protected].