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- A new report claims that Krafton delayed Subnautica 2 into 2026 to avoid paying $250 million in developer bonuses.
- Unknown Worlds Studio also recently faced a leadership change, with the former founders and CFO being fired.
- Krafton promised the bonus if the studio could achieve revenue goals by the end of 2025, which would be possible with the release of Subnautica 2.
Krafton has been a notable player in the gaming industry, known for its developer acquisitions throughout Asia. One of their notable acquisitions was Unknown Worlds Entertainment following the release of the highly acclaimed indie title Subnautica.
Seven years after the first title’s release, Unknown Worlds Entertainment is finally ready to release the sequel, which has unexpectedly been delayed. One report claims that publisher Krafton delayed the title to avoid paying $250 million as developer bonuses.
Why it matters: Unknown Worlds Entertainment has worked hard to get to this position from an indie dev. Krafton stealing away their hard work is very unethical for such a highly regarded company.
This report comes from Bloomberg. Leadership at Unknown Worlds Entertainment witnessed a shift last week, with Striking Distance Studio’s CEO assuming control.
Subanautica 2 was then delayed to 2026, which was against the former leadership’s wishes, who claimed that the game was ready to go.
The $250 million in bonuses was promised to Unknown Worlds Studio if they hit a certain revenue target by the end of 2025, which would be achievable by releasing Subnautica 2. Hence, this is why Krafton delayed the game without any cause.
The previous leadership at Unknown Worlds Studio planned to share the bonus with 100 employees, with some of them set to receive pay in six or even seven figures.
However, any hopes of bonuses are now down the drain after the studio’s founders and CFO were fired due to a leadership change.
The current CEO claims that Krafton wasn’t confident in Subnautica 2’s release this year. Furthermore, he also denied the above claims that this leadership change and delay were to avoid paying bonuses.
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[News Reporter]
Shaheer is currently pursuing a Business degree while also working as a part-time Content Writer. With his deep passion for both writing and video games, he has seamlessly transitioned into a role as a Journalist. Over the past two years, Shaheer has contributed as a freelancer to various websites and landed positions on acclaimed platforms like Gamerant. Currently, his role at Tech4gamers is as a Features Writer, but he also covers News occasionally. Shaheer’s favorite gaming franchises are Assassin’s Creed and the God of War series.
Get In Touch: shaheer@tech4gamers.com
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