The Subnautica 2 saga continues, and the ship already in perdition takes even more water when the previously licensed founders are a legal action against Krafton – the publisher who bought the studio (Unknown Worlds) a few years ago.
The conflict stems from the fact that the former director of the studio, Ted Gill, and the key co -founders and figures, Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire, said that Subnautica 2 was ready for early access. Krafton, however, did not agree at all and rather chose to delay the release until next year, citing the need for more content and polishing. In addition, Bloomberg has revealed that an $ 250 million bonus – intended for UNKNOWN Worlds employees – could now be lost due to this delay.
Krafton responds to this by saying that the situation is not as simple, arguing that 90 % of the premium would have been paid directly to the three former leaders. The company also accuses them of having given priority to “other activities”, in particular a film project, and of having contributed to the delays and the confusion that marked the development of the game.
But Cleveland and his two comrades do not remain silent. They maintain that Subnautica 2 was entirely ready for Early Access this year and insist that the premium was intended for the whole team. Cleveland has now continued Krafton for breach of contract and swears to “rectify the shooting”, saying that he would never give up the project or the team that is at the origin. In a public declaration, he wrote:
“Pursuing a company of several billion dollars in a painful, public and possibly prolonged manner certainly did not appear on my list of buckets. But it must be repaired. Subnautica was the work of my life and I would never abandon it voluntarily, nor the incredible team that put all its heart there.”
Meanwhile, tensions boil among fans, boycott and even hacking online piracy. Krafton tried to minimize the situation in a press release, promising to compensate the remaining developers fairly.
