The conflict between leadership at Subnautica 2 developer Unknown Worlds and the game's publisher Krafton has proven to be one of the most interesting developments in gaming in the last year, and recent events have made many believe the two companies are severing ties. As it turns out, though, that's not the case.
For the unaware, I'll give an overview of what's going on: in 2025, Krafton delayed Subnautica 2's Early Access release into 2026 while also ousting its founders and Unknown Worlds' CEO Ted Gill. This sparked major controversy, as the founders said the game was ready for release on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and Xbox Game Pass, and fans believed the publisher was trying to dodge having to pay a $250 million bonus dependent on the underwater survival game launching last year.
A lawsuit was then filed, with Krafton defending itself in court by claiming the Subnautica founders were negligent in their development of the sequel and that a delay was necessary. In the end, a judge sided with Unknown Worlds, ordering the publisher to reinstate Ted Gill, give him full control over the game's release date, and keep the offer of the $250 million bonus open through 2026.
A short while after that decision came, Krafton's name was removed from the Xbox and Steam listings of Subnautica 2. That brings us to where we are today, with many assuming it's no longer publishing the game and that partnership between the two may be ending. According to Unknown Worlds' lead designer Anthony Gallegos and creative media producer Scott MacDonald, however, the dev and publisher are still cooperating.
"I'm not sure I have that good an insight into the Steam page, but what I can say is we're co-publishing the game [with Krafton], so they're not not the publisher anymore," Gallegos told Eurogamer in a recent interview.
"As you can tell with Krafton people in this call, we're working with them for all promotional material, it's a co-publishing thing. It's just one of those things on Steam I think that just happened," added MacDonald. "It may have blown up a little bigger than it was meant to, but you know, Krafton are still very much helping us with the launch of the game."
Reportedly, a representative from Krafton was present during the interview, and agreed with what Gallegos and MacDonald stated.
This does clear things up somewhat, though something I couldn't help but notice is that these comments don't actually explain why Krafton's name was taken off of Subnautica 2 listings in the first place. It doesn't make any sense that it "just happened," especially while Unknown Worlds and Krafton were in the midst of closing out a lawsuit when it did.
If I had to guess, I'd say Unknown Worlds leadership didn't want to display Krafton's name on the game after everything that happened, though that's ultimately just speculation. I'm hoping concrete answers come at some point, but it's entirely possible they never will.
The good news for fans, though, is that Subnautica 2 is finally launching into Early Access across Xbox, PC, and Game Pass on May 14 — just over a week from now. It will be $29.99, though the full version that comes out at a later date may be pricier.
Do you believe Unknown Worlds' leadership or Krafton was in the right regarding Subnautica 2? Are you excited to finally play the game? Share your thoughts below.
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