Summary
- Krafton confirms the authenticity of an internal Subnautica 2 development document leaked on Reddit and social media.
- The document revealed the game’s May 2025 development milestone status and was widely circulated, causing confusion among fans.
- Leadership changes at Unknown Worlds led to the firing of co-founders just before the game’s planned early access release.
- Krafton delays Subnautica 2’s release to early access in 2026, citing incomplete content and leadership issues.
Krafton Confirms Leaked Subnautica 2 Development Document
Recently, an internal development document for Subnautica 2 was leaked on Reddit’s unofficial Subnautica 2 subreddit and other social platforms. This document detailed the progress of the game for a May 2025 milestone update.
Krafton, the game’s publisher, officially confirmed the document’s authenticity through a media statement. The publisher stated that the document is part of routine milestone reviews carried out in cooperation with the development studio, Unknown Worlds.
Krafton emphasised that these milestone reviews help monitor development progress, set clear objectives, and ensure that the game meets the company’s creative and quality standards. Due to the leak, causing widespread speculation and confusion, Krafton felt the need to clarify the situation publicly to maintain transparent communication with fans.
Leadership Changes and Delay to 2026
Alongside the document leak, major leadership changes rocked Subnautica 2’s development. Krafton abruptly fired Unknown Worlds co-founders Charlie Cleveland, Max McGuire, and CEO Ted Gill on July 2, 2025. Krafton cited a lack of focus and “abandoning responsibilities” as reasons for their termination.
In contrast, the fired co-founders strongly denied these claims and shared their shock at being removed from the project they had helped build for over 20 years.
This shakeup also led to the delay of Subnautica 2’s early access release from 2025 to 2026. Krafton claimed that the game currently falls short in content volume and quality, necessitating more development time. Meanwhile, Charlie Cleveland publicly stated on his blog that the game was ready for early access and that the delay was unwarranted.
Further complicating the issue, Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier reported that Krafton had promised Unknown Worlds a $250 million payout if certain revenue targets were met by 2025. With the delay, these targets are unlikely to be achieved, potentially voiding the bonus. Most of this payout was expected to go to the now-fired co-founders. In response, Cleveland and his team are preparing to file a lawsuit against Krafton, possibly for wrongful termination or defamation.
Well, the Subnautica 2 fan community is divided. Many sympathise with the fired co-founders, seeing Krafton’s moves as a way to avoid a large payout and asserting the game was near completion.
Others are cautious, waiting for more official updates amid the conflicting statements and the leaked development document that suggests the game may indeed need more work.
