Subnautica 2 is now available in early access, and its early success suggests that Krafton will likely have to pay a $250 million bonus to the game’s developers. This bonus has been a source of conflict, causing delays and legal issues after Krafton bought Unknown Worlds Entertainment, the studio that created Subnautica 2 and the original Subnautica games.
The latest installment in the Subnautica series is already receiving a lot of positive feedback from players. Despite being in early access, Subnautica 2 has a “Very Positive” rating on Steam, with almost 3,500 English-language reviews submitted on its first day. It’s been a challenging development process, but the team appears to have successfully given fans the experience they were hoping for.
Subnautica 2 Publisher Will Likely Have to Pay $250 Million Bonus
Subnautica 2 quickly became a huge hit, attracting hundreds of thousands of players on Steam almost immediately after release. Within just one day, it surpassed Resident Evil Requiem as the most popular 2026 game launch, with nearly 500,000 people trying it out in early access. The game’s success has been remarkable – Unknown Worlds reported selling one million copies by the morning of its release. This impressive performance likely means Krafton will have to pay a $250 million bonus to the developers, despite previous attempts to avoid doing so.
When Krafton bought Unknown Worlds Entertainment in 2021, they included a bonus plan based on the game’s success. If Unknown Worlds earned over $69.8 million, Krafton would pay $3.12 for every extra dollar earned, up to a maximum bonus of $250 million. With the game already popular among over a million players and expected to gain even more over the weekend, the developers are on track to receive their promised bonuses.
Although Unknown Worlds Entertainment is pleased with the outcome, court proceedings revealed that Krafton attempted to circumvent it. The situation became contentious when Krafton dismissed the CEO and co-founders of Unknown Worlds Entertainment and postponed the game’s early access release. The agreement stipulated that Subnautica 2 needed to meet certain milestones by the end of 2025; delaying the game meant Krafton would lose a bonus, even if the game was successful. The issue escalated further when it came to light that Krafton CEO Changhan Kim had used ChatGPT to explore ways to avoid fulfilling the agreement.
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The situation escalated into a legal battle that ended with the CEO of Unknown Worlds getting their job back. The judge found that the publisher intentionally tried to prevent a promised bonus from being paid. Because Krafton’s actions had caused the original deadline to pass without the requirements being met, the judge extended it to mid-September 2026, and potentially even to early 2027. With plenty of time remaining and strong sales numbers, Unknown Worlds is now well-positioned to earn a significant bonus for its team.
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2026-05-15 03:04