Krafton has provided a statement to Eurogamer on yesterday’s court ruling on Unknown Worlds and Subnautica 2. This ruling stated that the CEO must be brought back into his role, he must have control over the Steam page and Early Access launch of Subnautica 2, and the $250m performance-based bonus package must be extended.
The statement, attributed to Krafton, reads: “Krafton puts players at the heart of every decision, and that will never change. Over the past several months, KRAFTON and the Unknown Worlds team have worked tirelessly to strengthen the game and prepare it for an Early Access release, with a continued focus on delivering the best possible experience for the Subnautica community. We look forward to pushing out the newly updated version as soon as possible for players.
While we respectfully disagree with today’s ruling, we are evaluating our options as we determine our path forward. Today’s ruling does not resolve the former executives’ claim for damages or an earnout related to Subnautica 2, with further litigation still pending. In the meantime, Krafton’s immediate focus remains unchanged: delivering the best possible game to Subnautica’s fans.”
The Subnautica 2 leads were removed from their positions in July 2025, including game director Charlie Cleveland, as was Unknown Worlds CEO Ted Gill and special projects director Max McGuire. These ousted developers then launched legal action against Krafton, claiming they were pushed out and the game was delayed in order for the studio to miss revenue targets and be unlikely to receive a hefty $250m bonus package.
Krafton at the time was ready to meet these devs in court, stating decisions were made to “ensure Subnautica 2 is the best possible game and lives up to fan expectations”. The company also claimed the milestone process was “rigorously managed”, in response to claims to the contrary. Krafton’s CEO also allegedly asked ChatGPT to “brainstorm ways to avoid paying” these milestone packages. Krafton also denied this, stating in a statement to Eurogamer back in November 2025 these claims were “simply a distraction” from the removed developers’ own actions.