A $250 million payout that developers at Subnautica studio Krafton were expected to receive has been put in jeopardy amidst news that Subnautica 2 has been delayed to 2026.
This comes after news broke last week that Krafton’s leadership team and co-founders Charlie Cleveland, Max McGuire and CEO Ted Gill were being replaced. Cleveland has recently claimed that the game was ready for its Early Access release.
The $250 million would have been paid to the roughly 100-person Krafton studio in the form of bonuses ranging from hundreds of thousands of dollars to seven figures, presuming the studio hit a specific revenue goal, according to Bloomberg. With Subnautica 2’s delay, that revenue goal is now likely unreachable.
According to a live recording of an all-hands meeting Bloomberg accessed, new CEO Steve Papoutsis, formerly of Striking Distance Studios, was asked about the firings, delays and payouts by other developers at the studio. He conceded the game “is in a great spot”, but denied the delay was occurring to avoid the payout.
Subnautica 2 was revealed in late 2023 and has become one of the most wishlisted games on Steam. It follows the massive success of the first Subnautica in 2018 and Subnautica: Below Zero in 2021. The turmoil around the leadership changes at Krafton has led to some fans on Reddit calling for a boycott of the game. Subnautica 2’s new release date in 2026 is currently unknown.
About the Author
Cass Barkman
she/they
Cass is a lecturer in Media and Communications at The University of Melbourne with a personal/academic love for experimental narrative videogames, complex cinema and having a little nap.
