Gaming giant Krafton fired three bosses from Unknown Worlds after they walked away from making Subnautica 2. Charlie Cleveland, Max McGuire, and Ted Gill founded the studio but got kicked out when the underwater game got delayed again. The company accused them of abandoning their jobs while a huge $250 million bonus hung in the balance. Krafton bought Unknown Worlds back in 2021 and promised the massive payout if certain targets were met by 2025. The three founders were supposed to get 90 percent of that money.
Krafton claims Cleveland started working on a personal film project instead of finishing the game. The bosses refused to return to their roles as directors even when the company begged them multiple times. Meanwhile Subnautica 2 kept getting pushed back from its original early 2024 release date. The game was supposed to launch in early access before 2025 ended but that plan fell apart completely. Bloomberg reported that workers felt the revenue goals became impossible to reach.
The Korean parent company denies delaying the game just to avoid paying the bonus. They appointed Steve Papoutsis as the new studio head to replace the missing founders. Krafton promises fair compensation for the remaining 40 developers who kept working on the project. The bitter dispute might end up in court as both sides blame each other for the mess.
Krafton claims Cleveland started working on a personal film project instead of finishing the game. The bosses refused to return to their roles as directors even when the company begged them multiple times. Meanwhile Subnautica 2 kept getting pushed back from its original early 2024 release date. The game was supposed to launch in early access before 2025 ended but that plan fell apart completely. Bloomberg reported that workers felt the revenue goals became impossible to reach.
The Korean parent company denies delaying the game just to avoid paying the bonus. They appointed Steve Papoutsis as the new studio head to replace the missing founders. Krafton promises fair compensation for the remaining 40 developers who kept working on the project. The bitter dispute might end up in court as both sides blame each other for the mess.
