With official delayed confirmation, more drama in harmful reports at the now impossible $250 million

Aquarius 2 Publisher Krafton has officially postponed to 2026 and has been confirmed as IGN. The report said the delay could earn a $250 million bonus for the development team, the news said.

Krafton, the Korean company behind Smash Hit Battle Royale Pubg, acquired Unknown Worlds, a $500 million-value Subnautica developer, in October 2021. At the time, Krafton insisted that the unknown world would continue to operate as a standalone clothing. After the announcement, the expected Subnautica 2 is set to be released later in 2025.

However, last week, founders of Unknown World Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire and CEO Ted Gill were replaced by former strike distance CEO Steve Papoutsis last week A reorganization that shocked the Subococcal community and drew attention to the future of the sequel.

Cleveland then reddit When he and his colleagues thought Subnautica 2 was “ready to release ahead of time… the decision was in Krafton's hands”. Crafton released its own community update, which indicates that the delay is coming in.

Then, earlier this week Bloomberg Subnautica 2 was reportedly postponed to 2026, paying a $250 million bonus to the development team in just a few months. Bloomberg added that the delay was “against the wishes of the former leader of the studio” if the prize money for the Unknown World reached a certain income target by the end of 2025.

Bloomberg:

The unknown world leaders plan to share the extra money with all employees in all studios, about 100. Employees at the company were told at the time of acquisition that they were eligible for bonuses, ranging from hundreds of thousands of dollars to seven figures.

Now, Krafton has delayed Subnautica 2 to 2026 officials, but in a statement from IGN it insisted that the decision has nothing to do with “any contractual or financial considerations.” Instead, Coffton claimed that the delay was to respond to Playtests’ feedback and that delayed negotiations were already being discussed before Cleveland, McGuire and Jill were eliminated.

Here is the full statement from Crafton:

During the game testing of Subnautica 2, we received valuable feedback from the community, which strengthened our confidence in the direction of the game. At the same time, feedback highlights some areas that may be further improved before release.

As community voices play a central role in the way we shape the game, we decided to give the development team more time to implement feedback and provide a more complete experience. As a result, the early access release of Subnautica 2 has been rescheduled to 2026.

This decision is based solely on our commitment to quality and provides the best experience for players. It is not affected by any contractual or financial considerations. Additionally, the decision was discussed ahead of the studio’s recent leadership changes.

For fans, wait for subnautica 2 to continue.

Wesley is IGN's news director. Find him on Twitter via @wyp100. You can reach Wesley via [email protected] or secretly visit [email protected].