Subnautica 2 has been officially delayed to 2026, missing its originally expected 2025 release window. Alongside the delay, Krafton removed Unknown Worlds’ Charlie Cleveland (co-founder), Max McGuire (technical director), and Ted Gill (CEO) from their leadership roles. The move comes amid reports from Bloomberg of a $250 million earn-out bonus that hinged on the game releasing before the end of 2025. Cleveland has since stated he believed the game was ready for Early Access, while Krafton insists the delay is about polishing the product and not financially motivated. So, let’s dive in and discuss what we know so far.

Krafton, Inc. acquired Unknown Worlds all the way back in 2021. To our knowledge, it was understood that the former founders and executives of Unknown Worlds: Charlie Cleveland, Max McGuire, and Ted Gill, would remain to oversee development on Subnautica 2. But earlier this month, all three were removed from their leadership roles. Krafton has since installed Steve Papoutsis (formerly of Striking Distance Studios) as the new head of the studio.

Krafton stated that the change was due to “leadership absences” and concerns over the pace of development, but reporting from The Verge’s Ash Parrish revealed that there was a $250 million earn out bonus that would only be paid if certain milestones were hit by the end of 2025. Charlie Cleveland released a post on his website saying,

We know that the game is ready for early access release and we know you’re ready to play it. And while we thought this was going to be our decision to make, at least for now, that decision is in Krafton’s hands.

Krafton was quick to respond. Their released statement, a pop-up on their site that was screenshot and shared to reddit, alleged that 90% of that bonus was going to go to the three former executives, and stating that the team actually building Subnautica 2, the designers, artists, and programmers remains unchanged. They emphasized that the delay is not about dodging a payout, but about making a better game and seemed to cast a large amount of the blame at the feet of those removed.

So, where does that leave us? Despite the chaos, Subnautica 2 is still coming. A teaser trailer has been dropped and the game will at some point hit early-access. This fanbase is extremely passionate about this title, but the drama has left a bitter taste in the mouths of community members and trust is shaken. This is certainly not the end to this story, and one can hope that the game remains in capable hands. For now, all we can do is wait, and hope that whatever else is happening behind the scenes, the people actually making the game are still getting the space and support they need to make something great.