Overview

• Krafton and Unknown Worlds confirmed the sequel’s early-access release has been moved to 2026 to incorporate additional community-driven refinements.
• Founders Charlie Cleveland, Max McGuire and Ted Gill were ousted in July and have argued that the game was ready for its originally planned 2025 launch.
• Newly appointed CEO Steve Papoutsis told the studio he was unaware of any earn-out considerations influencing the decision to delay.
• The postponement jeopardizes a $250 million earn-out bonus tied to revenue targets through the end of 2025 under Krafton’s acquisition agreement.
• Krafton maintains the scheduling change was made solely to meet quality standards and was not driven by contractual or financial factors.