The delay of Subnautica 2 has been the primary driver of the dispute between former Unknown Worlds senior leadership Charlie Cleveland, Ted Gill, and Max McGuire, and mega-publisher Krafton, which purchased the studio back in 2021.

Reports indicate that Krafton, the South Korean parent of PUBG, recently restructured the management of Subnautica 2's dev team to avoid a hefty payout.

Per Krafton, the three removed executives allegedly would have been eligible for 90% of the $250 million bonus promised to staff.

Krafton accuses former Unknown Worlds leadership of abandoning Subnautica 2, escalating a bitter dispute over bonuses, delays, and trust.

Krafton have accused the game's ousted leads of abandoning their duties on Subnautica 2, and co-founder Charlie Cleveland says a lawsuit's been filed.

Since the report, Krafton has released a testy statement on the Subnautica 2 ordeal. “We are deeply disappointed by the former leadership’s conduct, and above all, we feel a profound sense of betrayal by their failure to honor the trust placed in them by our fans,” a Krafton representative told Polygon.

The game's developers were reportedly in line for a $250 million bonus if they had met certain revenue goals this year.

Subnautica 2 maker Unknown Worlds was set for a massive $250 million payout this year if it hit certain revenue targets, Bloomberg reported yesterday. But a fresh delay of one of the most wish-listed games on Steam makes that almost impossible.