Subnautica 2 Studio CEO Calls Out Krafton for Improperly Announcing Early Access Launch Date

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So, things are getting a little messy with Subnautica 2. It sounds like Unknown Worlds, the team making it, finally got their leadership back on track, but that May release date for Early Access? Apparently, they weren’t actually planning on announcing that yet, according to Game File. It’s looking like that timeframe might not be right after all.

A lawyer wrote to Delaware court official Lori Will, pointing out that the recent announcement was handled poorly and could harm the game and further confuse players of Subnautica. The lawyer also accused Krafton of making the decision purely for its own benefit.

Krafton decided to release Subnautica 2 into Early Access in May after the development team reached important goals. This decision came to light in a memo this week, and prompted a response from the legal team representing the game’s co-founders – Ted Gill, Charlie Cleveland, and Max McGuire. They sent a letter expressing concerns about how studio head Steve Papoutsis announced these milestones to the developers, arguing he wasn’t authorized to do so.

The lawyer’s letter stated that Krafton rushed the game’s launch announcement without considering how it would affect the game itself, the development team, or the player community – and completely ignored the court’s previous ruling. Typically, releasing a game involves a lot of marketing and building excitement with the community, a process that was supposed to be led by Mr. Gill. However, Krafton moved forward with the announcement despite the court’s ruling, which the lawyer argues has further harmed the game and created confusion among Subnautica fans.

The letter suggested that Krafton may have intentionally shared Papoutsis’s memo with the public internationally. Krafton’s lawyers then released a statement clarifying that the memo was only intended as a way to announce and celebrate the progress of Subnautica 2.

Papoutsis’s message simply acknowledged the hard work of UW employees on a previous project: Krafton’s decision that Subnautica 2 was ready for Early Access. Sharing these results and thanking the team for their dedication and skill was perfectly appropriate.

So, good news for anyone following Subnautica 2 – they’ve put Stu Gill back in charge as CEO of Unknown Worlds. That means he can now really take a look at where the game is at and decide when it’s ready to launch, all on his own terms. Apparently, whatever the previous message said doesn’t change his ability to make those calls, which is a relief!

The vice chancellor hasn’t yet responded to either letter. Gill’s reappointment was confirmed this week as part of Will’s decision. The vice chancellor stated that Krafton violated the agreement by firing key employees without justification and by taking control of Unknown Worlds improperly.

It’s currently unclear if the recent developments will affect the planned May launch of Subnautica 2. If the game is ready for Early Access, the launch date probably won’t change, and we should expect to see more promotion for the underwater survival game soon.

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2026-03-20 17:41