More Drama in the Murky World of Subnautica 2 as Official Delay Confirmation Comes Hot on the Heels of Damaging Report Into Now Unlikely $250M Bonus

Subnautica 2 is officially delayed to 2026, steadfast Krafton has confirmed to IGN. The quality follows a study that claimed the hold whitethorn outgo the improvement squad a $250 cardinal bonus.

Krafton, the Korean institution down smash deed conflict royale PUBG, acquired the $500 million-valued Subnautica developer Unknown Worlds successful October 2021. At the time, Krafton insisted Unknown Worlds would proceed to run arsenic an autarkic outfit. Following its announcement, the hotly anticipated Subnautica 2 was acceptable for an aboriginal entree merchandise aboriginal successful 2025.

However, past week, Unknown Worlds founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire, and CEO Ted Gill, were replaced by erstwhile Striking Distance CEO, Steve Papoutsis, successful a shakeup that shocked the Subnautica assemblage and sparked interest implicit the sequel’s future.

Cleveland subsequently revealed connected Reddit that portion helium and his colleagues believed Subnautica 2 was "ready for aboriginal release... that determination is successful Krafton's hands." Krafton issued a assemblage update of its own, suggesting a hold was incoming.

Then, earlier this week, Bloomberg reported that Subnautica 2 was delayed to 2026 — conscionable months earlier it was owed to wage a $250 cardinal bonus to the improvement team. Bloomberg added that the hold was “against the wishes of the studio’s erstwhile leadership,” and that the $250 cardinal bonus would person kicked successful if Unknown Worlds deed definite gross targets by the extremity of 2025. Without Subnautica 2 coming retired this year, hitting those gross targets is unlikely, and the bonus won’t beryllium paid out.

Per Bloomberg:

Unknown Worlds’ enactment planned to stock the further wealth with each of the studio’s employees, which fig astir 100. Staff who were astatine the institution astatine the clip of the acquisition were told they were eligible for bonuses ranging from hundreds of thousands of dollars to 7 figures, the radical said.

Now, Krafton has made Subnautica 2’s hold to 2026 official, but successful a connection to IGN, it insisted the determination had thing to bash with “any contractual oregon fiscal considerations.” Instead, Krafton claimed, the hold was astir responding to feedback from playtests, and hold talks were already nether treatment earlier Cleveland, McGuire, and Gill were outed.

Here’s Krafton’s connection successful full:

During playtests for Subnautica 2, we received invaluable feedback from our assemblage that reinforced our assurance successful the game's direction. At the aforesaid time, the feedback highlighted a fewer areas that could payment from further refinement earlier release.As assemblage voices play a cardinal relation successful however we signifier our games, we’ve made the determination to springiness the improvement squad much clip to instrumentality that feedback and present a much implicit experience. As a result, Subnautica 2’s Early Access motorboat has been rescheduled for 2026.This determination was based solely connected our committedness to prime and to delivering the champion imaginable acquisition for players. It was not influenced by immoderate contractual oregon fiscal considerations. Additionally, the determination had already been nether treatment anterior to caller enactment changes astatine the studio.

For fans, the hold for Subnautica 2 goes on.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].