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The Latest Breaking News from Charlie Cleveland

A gaming CEO asked ChatGPT how to avoid paying a $250 million bonus. It didn't work

Krafton's AI-assisted scheme to oust the makers of Subnautica 2 just collapsed in court after a judge ruled the company had to reinstate the CEO and payout the bonus.

Fortune

South Korean company following ChatGPT management advice forced to backtrack by court — Krafton improperly ousted Subnautica developer bosses to dodge $250m bonus payout

Gaming company forced to backtrack by court after AI-driven plan to dodge $250m bonus payment backfires.

Tom’s Hardware

Subnautica 2 owner constantly relied on ChatGPT for legal strategy, judge says in scathing order: "Krafton followed most of ChatGPT’s recommendations"

Don't use AI for legal advice, kids

GamesRadar

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Fired Subnautica 2 CEO must be reinstated, judge rules, and "may proceed with the early access release of Subnautica 2 when he deems it appropriate"

Court order puts Ted Gill back at the helm of Steam early access for Subnautica 2

GamesRadar

Krafton CEO confirms he "actually searched on ChatGPT" for "faster answers" amid legal battle with former Subnautica 2 leads, after the publisher dubbed accusations of chatbot use "a last-ditch effort"

"...just like everyone else..."

GamesRadar

Subnautica 2 studio was working on a secret game code named Project Labrador before Unknown Worlds leads were fired, and ex-CEO says he still hopes "to see that game come to light"

The Subnautica movie has seemingly also been put on ice

GamesRadar

Krafton CEO allegedly asked ChatGPT to help him find a way out of paying Subnautica 2 devs their bonuses because he wanted to avoid the 'professional embarrassment' of being seen as a 'pushover'

A pre-trial brief filed by former Unknown Worlds bosses says Krafton CEO Changham Kim was worried about losing his job for overpaying for the studio.

PC Gamer

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Ousted Subnautica 2 founders fight Krafton over ChatGPT records as the publisher accuses them of deleting and stealing data: "'Make sure there's nothing incriminating'"

New legal filings reveal additional details about the war for Subnautica 2

GamesRadar

"To say Krafton's new theory is a Hail Mary would be an understatement": Former Subnautica 2 studio leadership allege publisher Krafton has changed "its story mid-litigation about why it fired the founders"

It's alleged that Krafton has "pivoted to a new theory that it admittedly came up with only after the fact"

GamesRadar

The Subnautica legal dispute takes a surprise twist as Unknown Worlds—not Krafton—sues its former bosses for stealing confidential material on their way out the door

The lawsuit says the three former Unknown Worlds principals used confidential material to "harm Unknown Worlds and jeopardize the future of the Subnautica franchise."

PC Gamer

As the legal debate between Subnautica 2's publisher and former studio execs rages, the original game and its spinoff quietly receive small patches and big discounts

1.0 release adds a new class and a ship's hold's worth of balance changes.

PC Gamer

The Subnautica 2 drama intensifies as Krafton accuses former Unknown Worlds leadership of pushing to release an unfinished game and secretly downloading "massive amounts of confidential information"

Krafton says it invested $500 million "in the success of not only Subnautica 2, but also Subnautica 3, Subnautica 4, and any other future Subnautica franchise product"

GamesRadar

Krafton fires back at Unknown Worlds lawsuit, says Subnautica 2 was at risk of causing 'irreversible harm to the entire franchise' like Kerbal Space Program 2

Krafton says the former heads of Unknown Worlds were fired with cause to keep them from "permanently damaging Unknown Worlds' most valuable IP."

PC Gamer

New Unknown Worlds CEO reacts to fans planning Subnautica 2 boycott: "Wow ... That's very disappointing"

"People put a lot of effort into making those games"

GamesRadar

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PC Gamer

Unknown Worlds founders' lawsuit accuses Krafton of a 'months-long campaign to delay Subnautica 2' so it wouldn't have to pay $250M earnout

Last week, Krafton accused the former heads of Unknown Worlds of abandoning Subnautica 2. This week, they're firing back.

GamesRadar

Subnautica 2 leak confirmed by Krafton, highlighting the cause of the survival game's delay and publisher's plans to "enhance the content volume and level of polish before launching"

The game was said to lack the "volume expected of a sequel"

PC Gamer

Krafton confirms Subnautica 2 leak showing that the publisher wanted more content for the early access launch, leading to delay and leadership ouster

It's supporting evidence for Krafton's narrative, but still not definitive.

GamesRadar

OG Subnautica director is suing parent company Krafton after leadership changes: "Subnautica has been my life's work and I would never willingly abandon it"

"Suing a multi-billion dollar company in a painful, public and possibly protracted way was certainly not on my bucket list"

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news in one place.

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PC Gamer

The Subnautica 2 saga gets nastier, with ousted leaders confirming they'll sue Krafton: 'It continues to be an explosive and surreal time'

"Suing a multi-billion dollar company in a painful, public and possibly protracted way was certainly not on my bucket list."

PC Gamer

Krafton accuses former Subnautica 2 bosses of abandoning the game in surprising new statement: 'We feel a profound sense of betrayal by their failure to honor the trust placed in them'

Update: Dismissed Unknown Worlds founders are filing a lawsuit.

GamesRadar

Subnautica 2 publisher says the studio's previous game was a "failure" – a strategy game that's nothing like Subnautica and peaked at under 1,000 Steam players

Ousted co-founder Charlie Cleveland said "it feels like I'll never get over that one"

GamesRadar

Subnautica 2 owner Krafton says "former leadership abandoned the responsibilities entrusted to them" in response to concerns over sudden changes and official delay: "We feel a profound sense of betrayal by their failure"

Krafton says it "made multiple requests to Charlie and Max to resume their roles as Game Director and Technical Director, respectively, but both declined to do so"

GamesRadar

Krafton says the Subnautica 2 delay had nothing to do with money and was already being discussed before last week's leadership shakeup, and oh, here's a 90-second gameplay teaser

Krafton has denied that the Subnautica 2 delay had anything to do with "any contractual or financial consideration" and says "the decision had already been under discussion prior to recent leadership changes at the studio"

Windows Central

Subnautica 2 publisher Krafton reportedly delayed it to 2026 — did it just kill a $250 million bonus for devs in the crib?

A new report suggests publisher Krafton has delayed Subnautica 2 to 2026, and as a result, a $250 million bonus for its developers may now be off the table.

PC Gamer

Subnautica 2 publisher Krafton confirms 2026 delay, says the change 'was not influenced by any contractual or financial considerations'

Krafton says the push into 2026 will give developers time to implement feedback from playtests and "deliver a more complete experience."

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