Summary
- Subnautica 2’s early access release has been delayed from 2025 to 2026 by publisher Krafton.
- The delay comes just before a $250 million bonus payout to Unknown Worlds developers, tied to revenue goals expected by the end of 2025.
- Studio co-founders Charlie Cleveland, Max McGuire, and former CEO Ted Gill were recently fired amid leadership changes.
- New CEO Steve Papoutsis said the game wasn’t ready and more content will be added before release.
- The delay likely means the $250 million bonus will not be paid, impacting around 100 studio employees who expected significant payouts.
Subnautica 2 Delayed to 2026 Before Major Developer Payout
Subnautica 2, the highly anticipated sequel from Unknown Worlds, has officially been delayed to early access release in 2026, according to a Bloomberg report by Jason Schreier.
This move comes shortly after Krafton, the game’s publisher, reshuffled the studio’s leadership—firing key figures like co-founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire, along with former CEO Ted Gill.
The delay is notable because it arrives just weeks before Krafton was expected to pay a $250 million bonus to Unknown Worlds, contingent on reaching revenue targets by the end of 2025.
Since the game will no longer launch this year, meeting those targets now seems unlikely, and the hefty payout to the studio’s roughly 100 employees may be jeopardised.
While Krafton’s new CEO, Steve Papoutsis, stated that the delay is to allow more content development and denied knowledge of any link to the bonus payout, studio co-founder Charlie Cleveland has publicly disagreed. Cleveland believes the game was ready for early access release and hinted that the delay decision was against the wishes of the previous leadership.
Currently, the Subnautica 2 Steam page still lists 2025 as the expected early access release year, though this may change soon following the delay announcement.
Fans and industry watchers will be closely monitoring further updates from Krafton and Unknown Worlds as the situation unfolds.
