Krafton plan to delay Subnautica 2 and deny the studio a $250 million bonus

Subnautica 2 is being delayed into 2026 by its publishers Krafton, which would pb to the endurance game's workplace missing retired connected a antecedently agreed $250 cardinal bonus, meant to beryllium shared among employees. The revelation comes via a study from Bloomberg, and could yet explicate wherefore Krafton ousted the studio's astir elder figures past week.

Three higher-ups astatine the workplace were summarily kicked retired past week and "replaced" with the CEO of Striking Distance, Steve Papoutsis. The studio's archetypal co-founder, Charlie Cleveland, was 1 of those who felt the crisp toecap of Krafton's boot, and has since said it came arsenic a "shock".

In a missive posted to societal media, Cleveland wrote that the crippled was "ready for aboriginal access". This is successful contradiction to Krafton, who person spoken astir delivering "the close crippled astatine the close time" and communicated via Unknown Worlds that determination would beryllium an "update to our schedule".

However, during an all-hands meeting, workers astatine Unknown Worlds questioned caller CEO Papoutsis astir the reasons for a planned delay. And those clever sneaks astatine Bloomberg heard a signaling of his response.

When asked astir the coup and the intended delay, Papoutsis reportedly said: "While yes, the bundle that everybody worked connected is successful a large spot and it felt like, 'Hey we should motorboat this,' that wasn’t wherever some parties aligned around." (Let america grant the shaper of The Callisto Protocol immoderate corpopoints for utilizing "aligned around" alternatively of quality connection similar "agreed".)

When asked whether a hold was being enacted to debar paying retired the bonus, Papoutsis replied: "It’s ne'er been told to maine that we’re making this alteration specifically to interaction immoderate earnout oregon thing similar that."

We've contacted Krafton for comment. They person confirmed the hold to IGN. A connection connected Unknown Worlds' website says the hold is meant "to springiness ourselves a small other time."

"[The] events of this week person been rather a shock," said Cleveland successful that missive to fans. "We cognize that the crippled is acceptable for aboriginal entree merchandise and we cognize you’re acceptable to play it. And portion we thought this was going to beryllium our determination to make, astatine slightest for now, that determination is successful Krafton’s hands. And aft each these years, to find that I’m nary longer capable to enactment astatine the institution I started stings."

It's bully astatine slightest to person a small clarity astir the reasons wherefore specified a melodramatic powerfulness shuffle has occured. The erstwhile Unknown Worlds enactment and Krafton disagreed astir the game's readiness, and some parties had an inducement to beryllium right. In this case, Krafton utilized a blugeon to settee the issue.

In April, Krafton reported grounds profits successful the archetypal 4th of 2025, hitting $608 cardinal successful income and $308 cardinal successful operating profit. Its CEO, Kim Chang-han, received a bonus past twelvemonth of $3.9 million.

Subnautica 2 is the 2nd astir wishlisted crippled connected Steam, lone beaten by Hollow Knight: Silksong.