Krafton fell victim to Subnautica 2's success and is now forced to pay the game's creators $250 million - Media

The scandalous story surrounding Subnautica 2 and the conflict between Krafton and Unknown Worlds studio seems to be coming to an end. According to a new report by The Korean Economic Daily, the publisher has agreed to pay the developers the promised bonus of $250 million after the game's successful launch.

Subnautica 2 became an instant hit: game sales are already estimated at approximately 4 million copies, and revenue has exceeded $100 million. Such success virtually guaranteed the fulfillment of conditions under which Unknown Worlds was to receive a large payout from the parent company.

The conflict between the parties began back in the summer of 2025. At that time, Krafton unexpectedly fired the founders of Unknown Worlds — Ted Gill, Charlie Cleveland, and Max McGuire, the creators of the original Subnautica. The publisher claimed that the decision was made in order to "create the game that fans of the series deserve." However, just a few days later, Charlie Cleveland made a public statement, hinting that the true reasons for the dismissal were much more complex.

Later, Bloomberg revealed a key detail of the conflict: the agreement stipulated a bonus payment of $250 million if the Subnautica franchise reached certain commercial targets within a set timeframe. According to sources, Krafton understood that with the originally planned release of Subnautica 2, the studio would almost certainly meet the terms of the deal.

Soon after the report was published, Krafton announced the postponement of Subnautica 2, denying any connection between the delay and bonus payments. Moreover, the company accused the former executives of Unknown Worlds of allegedly "abandoning their duties" during the project's development. In response, the co-founders of the studio filed a lawsuit against the publisher.

The legal confrontation quickly became public and was accompanied by mutual accusations. The culmination was a court decision in February 2026, which sided with the founders of Unknown Worlds. The court ordered their reinstatement and also confirmed that Krafton's CEO had used ChatGPT in attempts to find a way to avoid paying the bonus.

Following the court decision, Krafton promptly confirmed the release window for Subnautica 2 for May 2026, and later announced the exact release date — May 14. Even before its launch, the game accumulated over 5 million wish list additions, so its commercial success was widely considered inevitable.

Now, according to the latest data, Unknown Worlds will still receive the promised $250 million — despite almost a year of litigation and a high-profile conflict with the publisher.