Judge Slams Subnautica 2 Publisher Krafton in Victory for Fired Workers, Orders Company Reinstate Boss and Extend $250 Million Bonus

Krafton has been ordered to reinstate the erstwhile brag of Subnautica 2 workplace Unknown Worlds and widen its employees' projected $250 cardinal bonus, successful a stunning ineligible judgement that powerfully favors the game's improvement staff.

Subnautica 2's improvement has been mired successful contention since Krafton dramatically fired Unknown Worlds CEO Ted Gill and different elder squad members successful the summertime of past year. At the time, Krafton besides said the game's motorboat had besides been delayed — thing it blamed connected Gill — adjacent though its squad had been moving towards an aboriginal entree merchandise that would person seen them eligible for that $250 cardinal bonus.

Gill and his erstwhile teammates instantly launched a suit against Krafton, suggesting they were ousted to debar that bonus being paid, portion Krafton deed backmost and said the unit had "resorted to litigation to request a multimillion-dollar payout they haven't earned." Krafton besides accused the unit it fired of having stolen documents successful anticipation of consequent ineligible action, muddying the waters implicit their exit.

The resulting ineligible play has led to the surfacing of respective stunning claims, specified arsenic the proposition that Krafton CEO Changhan Kim had utilized ChatGPT to "brainstorm ways to debar paying" Unknown Worlds' bonus, and that helium had besides discussed his thought for an Unknown Worlds institution "takeover" program via Slack. Krafton, meanwhile, suggested the ousted unit had "referenced racist views toward Korea and Korean people" — owed to a enactment submitted by Owen Mahoney, the CEO and President of rival South Korean video crippled institution Nexon.

Ultimately, however, the ineligible enactment has resulted successful a triumph for Unknown Worlds. Krafton itself is yet to comment.

"Frustrated by the Key Employees' refusal to forfeit cognition power and facing a nine-figure liability, Krafton went searching for a pretext," the justice wrote, slamming Krafton's erstwhile claims that Gill and others had "abandoned their responsibilities."

"Krafton's existent absorption successful June 2025 was avoiding its fiscal exposure," the justice wrote. "It knew Subnautica 2 was poised to execute a $250 cardinal earnout, which Kim viewed arsenic a catastrophic failure. Krafton undertook 'Project X' to either unit a woody connected the earnout oregon execute a 'takeover' of the studio. Terminating the Founders was 1 maneuver explored and yet chosen by Krafton to execute its goal."

As for Subnautica 2 itself? Developer Unknown Worlds precocious shared a behind-the-scenes look astatine an all-new deep-sea predator, and "how the squad has utilized Unreal Engine 5 AI for lifelike behavior, real-time reactions and tense encounters for player." The 10-minute vlog is 1 of the archetypal improvement updates we've had since the ineligible wrangling began past year.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social