Unknown Worlds Boss Accused Krafton of Overreach in Choosing Subnautica 2 Release Date
The fight over Subnautica 2 keeps popping back into headlines. A court ordered Krafton to put Ted Gill back as CEO of Unknown Worlds and hand control of the game's early access launch to him. Still, there’s an immediate complication.
Shortly after the ruling, the Krafton-appointed interim head of Unknown Worlds, Steve Papoutsis, told staff the sequel would go into early access in May 2026. That statement didn’t sit well with Gill’s legal team, nor with lawyers for his recently fired colleagues Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire.
They contend the release-date call is now Gill’s to make and view Papoutsis's announcement as flouting the court order. In a letter to the judge they argue Krafton pushed the date for reasons that serve the publisher, not the studio, and without proper regard for the team or the player base.
The announcement of a game’s release is a hugely important event. It is usually accompanied by major marketing, hype, and community engagement. Most importantly — such an announcement must be carefully thought out to generate genuine excitement among players. This process was supposed to be overseen by Mr. Gill. Letter from the lawyers of the fired heads of Unknown Worlds
Their filing goes further, suggesting the internal note from Papoutsis was leaked by Krafton and then publicly confirmed so the news would appear official while remaining muted. The lawyers say that tactic could blunt initial sales and, e.g., prevent the $250 million bonus from being triggered.
Krafton pushes back hard. They say Papoutsis was congratulating the studio for clearing a key development milestone and that the publisher had already concluded the game was ready for early access before the court stepped in.
The company also stressed that once Gill is back at the helm he’ll have the final say on readiness and timing. "Nothing in Papoutsis's message diminishes [Gill]’s authority," Krafton wrote.