Krafton Responds to Ex-Subnautica 2 Leads' Lawsuit, Saying They 'Resorted to Litigation to Demand a Payday They Haven't Earned'

Krafton has issued a effect to a caller suit filed by the erstwhile leads of Subnautica 2, offering rebuttals to the developers' claims and alleging they "resorted to litigation to request a multimillion-dollar payout they haven't earned."

This comes successful reply to a ineligible ailment filed by erstwhile Unknown Worlds CEO Ted Gill, and chap co-founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire, past month. In it, the erstwhile leads alleged that Krafton went retired of its mode to hinder Subnautica 2's development, hold the game, and yet occurrence them from their roles each successful an effort to halt them and different employees from collecting a $250 cardinal bonus outgo that would person kicked successful if the game's aboriginal entree released connected clip aboriginal this twelvemonth and reached definite income milestones.

In its response, Krafton says the crippled was planned for a Q1 2024 release. However, "Cleveland and McGuire abandoned their roles arsenic studio-wide Game Director and Technical Director to absorption connected their idiosyncratic passionateness projects and discontinue making games for Unknown Worlds entirely. And Gill, who remained, focused connected leveraging his operational power to maximize the earnout payment, alternatively than processing a palmy game."

Krafton goes connected to allege that by 2023, Unknown Worlds' improvement manager had commented connected the founders being "checked out," and that Cleveland successful peculiar had stated publically helium had abandoned video games to prosecute filmmaking. The merchandise day of Subnautica slipped to 2024 and past 2025. "An interior appraisal of the archetypal playable successful March of 2024 made wide that the squad had failed to present connected their committedness of processing sufficiently caller content. But alternatively than rotation up their sleeves and marque the crippled they had promised, the Key Employees blamed others and overhauled the team." Krafton besides says that the leads continued reducing the scope of the crippled implicit time.

The effect says that by outpouring 2025, Krafton was trying to halt them from releasing the game, saying it was not ready. However, Krafton alleges the leads tried to merchandise it anyhow successful bid to get their maximum earnout.

"Krafton, fearing however an underbaked EA Subnautica 2 would beryllium received by some existing fans and the broader market, urged Cleveland and McGuire to instrumentality to their posts to make a market-ready merchandise that would not disappoint fans. Cleveland and McGuire declined. In effect to Krafton's petition for the Key Employees to instrumentality to pb the improvement of Subnautica 2, Gill stated that '[t]here's nary coming backmost to a occupation they didn't have.'" Krafton further alleges that the leads said they would self-publish the crippled without Krafton, and that they downloaded "massive amounts of confidential information" from Unknown Worlds.

The Key Employees' insistence connected releasing the crippled instantly was singularly driven by self-interest successful obtaining the earnout. At each crook during development, the Key Employees were laser focused connected avoiding "a timeline that doesn't vessel the earnout opportunity" and scheduling the merchandise to maximize their payments. Conversations passim the post-acquisition play marque wide the Key Employee's [sic] absorption was connected their payday, and not connected the game. As aboriginal arsenic 2022, an worker who was owed to person a information of the earnout stated that contempt the important delays successful the game, helium was assured "Ted [Gill] volition concoct a strategy to get america that earnout." [emphasis Krafton's]

The effect goes connected to contented answers to each assertion successful the founders' lawsuit, paragraph by paragraph. Krafton asks the tribunal to regularisation successful its favor, contradict the founders' claims for relief, and grant Krafton costs, including lawyer fees.

This saga began successful July, erstwhile Krafton seemingly retired of the bluish announced it would regenerate Unknown Worlds' leads with erstwhile Striking Distance CEO Steve Papoutsis. In the weeks that followed, reports emerged surrounding the $250 cardinal bonus promised to unit amid questions arsenic to whether that payout would beryllium honored. While the Subnautica leads claimed successful assorted statements and successful their suit that Krafton had tried to hold Subnautica 2 and yet fired them to debar paying them the bonus, Krafton accused them of neglecting their duties, saying Subnautica 2 was not acceptable to launch. That last assertion remains up successful the air, with leaked documents since verified by Krafton confirming that Unknown Worlds was receiving feedback from the steadfast that the crippled was not acceptable for aboriginal entree launch. However, a study from Bloomberg suggests this whitethorn not person been wholly true.

Rebekah Valentine is simply a elder newsman for IGN. You tin find her posting connected BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a communicative tip? Send it to [email protected].