Overview

• The 58-page lawsuit filed July 16 in Delaware Chancery Court accuses Krafton of breaching contract and orchestrating a months-long campaign to delay Subnautica 2’s 2025 launch to avoid a $250 million earn-out.
• Former Unknown Worlds executives Charles Cleveland, Ted Gill and Max McGuire claim Krafton pulled marketing resources, stalled key partnerships and replaced studio leadership with Steve Papoutsis to derail the game.
• Krafton officially pushed early access into 2026 under new management, citing insufficient content volume and development progress as justification for the postponement.
• Publisher extended the performance-based earn-out window to December 2026 and advanced part of the 2026 bonus this year to address founder payout concerns.
• The dispute has intensified scrutiny of creative autonomy and performance-tied compensation in major game-studio acquisitions as both sides prepare for a protracted legal battle.