Subnautica Developer Seemingly Has a Secret, Unannounced Game Codenamed Project Labrador

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The trial between Krafton and the founders of Unknown Worlds – Ted Gill, Charlie Cleveland, and Max McGuire – has revealed that the studio was secretly developing a new game, but Krafton put the project on hold. During a court hearing on November 17th, Gill, the former CEO of Unknown Worlds, discussed this unannounced game, as well as plans for a Subnautica movie, according to GamesRadar.

So, in court, they asked me if I wanted my old job back as CEO, and I definitely said yes! I really want to get Subnautica 2 launched, make sure the Subnautica movie—which Cleveland was working on—actually happens, and finally get Project Labrador—that secret game we’ve been developing—out to everyone.

According to Gill, the team had been working on Subnautica 2 for three and a half years and was almost ready to launch an early access version earlier this year. He expressed disappointment that the launch was cancelled so close to the planned date. Gill also clarified that Charlie, presumably a person involved in the company, was not involved in the development of Subnautica 2.

Gill added that there’s a lot more to the project. As a fan of Subnautica, he’s eager to see the film completed, noting they were making good headway and he’s keen to help bring it to fruition.

Like I said before, our studio worked on several projects at once. One of them was a game we internally called Project Labrador, and it’s something I’m very excited about – I’d love to see it released.

Krafton explained to GamesRadar that they delayed the release of Subnautica 2 to make sure it’s the best game it can be for players. They also confirmed that the three co-founders who are currently absent from the project want to return to their leadership roles at Unknown Worlds.

We’re currently in court explaining that all our decisions were made to give players the best possible experience. We had to step in and make changes because the previous leadership team wasn’t focused on developing Subnautica 2, which has always been our main goal.

This case essentially revolves around the plaintiffs wanting to return to jobs they didn’t want and had previously turned down. We’re prepared to continue presenting our evidence and are confident the judge will rule in our favor, allowing us to keep making significant progress.

Earlier this week, the three founders of Unknown Worlds claimed that Krafton CEO Changham Kim attempted to use ChatGPT to find a loophole and avoid paying the agreed-upon earn-out following Krafton’s acquisition of the studio.

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2025-11-19 15:41