Subnautica 2 Delay May Cost Studio $250 Million Bonus – Report

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Recently this month, it’s been reported that the creators of Unknown Worlds (the team behind Subnautica and its forthcoming title, Subnautica 2) were apparently pushed out from the studio by their parent company Krafton. Now, there are claims circulating that Krafton’s choice to postpone Subnautica 2 until 2026 might lead to Unknown Worlds losing a potential $250 million bonus for their team.

As reported by Bloomberg, the former leaders of Unknown Worlds – including Charlie Cleveland (director and designer of Subnautica), Max McGuire (co-founder of the company) and Ted Gill (CEO) – have expressed opposition to delaying the release of Subnautica 2. More recently, Cleveland voiced his opinion that Subnautica 2 could be released early this year as initially planned, since he believes it is now ready for such a launch.

It appears that Krafton would have been required to pay a $250 million bonus if Unknown Worlds managed to achieve their revenue objectives before the year’s end. However, with the delay in the early access release of Subnautica 2, it seems unlikely that they will meet those financial targets.

The report suggests that the previous heads of Unknown Worlds intended to distribute the bonus amongst all staff members. It was reportedly brought up during a town hall meeting with Steve Papoutsis, the current CEO of Unknown Worlds, who stated he had not been informed about the bonus and wasn’t certain if it played a role in delaying the game.

Krafton hasn’t set a specific release date for Subnautica 2.

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2025-07-09 23:38