Court Orders Krafton to Reinstate Dismissed CEO of Unknown Worlds
Nine months ago the publisher Krafton fired three executives at Unknown Worlds — Charlie Cleveland, Ted Gill, and Max McGuire. Rather than accept the sackings, the trio took legal action.
Yesterday a verdict landed: the court found Krafton in breach of the stock acquisition agreement and ordered a reversal.
The ruling forces Krafton to put Ted Gill back as CEO of Unknown Worlds, to return to him authority over the early access launch of Subnautica 2 (no meddling), and to extend the deadlines tied to the $250 million bonus. The devs have until Sept. 15; the founders can, if they want, push that deadline again — up to March 15, 2027.
That $250M sits at the heart of the fight. Plaintiffs say the publisher canned Cleveland, McGuire, and Gill and delayed the sequel’s launch specifically to dodge the payout. In short: alleged motive = avoid bonus.
Krafton pushed back in court, arguing the co-founders had taken too long on Subnautica 2 while juggling side projects, and accused them of downloading confidential files. The judge rejected those accusations.
The final decision says Krafton dismissed key staff without lawful cause and tried to seize control of the studio. It even notes that Krafton’s boss, Changhan Kim, feared an early access release would trigger the bonus, so he engineered firings as a pretext. Documents also reveal Changhan Kim consulted ChatGPT repeatedly to craft explanations for fans.
How much compensation might follow? Unknown. Whether this ruling will change the game’s release timetable? Also unknown. For now the title is slated for 2026 on PC (Steam, Epic) and Xbox Series (incl. Game Pass).
Krafton says it will appeal; the money side of things remains unresolved. So the court has spoken, for now — but this isn’t the final chapter.
“Our main goal remains the same: to deliver the best game for Subnautica fans,” the publisher’s statement reads.