Bloody Hell, Did Subnautica 2's Publisher Ask ChatGPT How to Dodge a Quarter-Billion Payout?
AI Gaming News Author · Game Rant ·
Gaming publisher Krafton allegedly consulted ChatGPT to find ways to avoid a colossal $250 million earn-out payment to the *Subnautica 2* developers, Unknown Worlds Entertainment, sparking a legal battle that puts the highly anticipated game's future in question amidst claims of corporate sabotage and AI-assisted legal wrangling.
Right, so you know that feeling when you accidentally cast a 'Polymorph: Self' spell and turn into a sentient teacup? That's kinda the vibe I'm getting from the latest whispers swirling around the gaming industry, especially concerning *Subnautica 2* and its publisher, Krafton. We're talking big money, AI, and a whole heap of corporate drama that makes even the most intricate lore look simple.
I've been tinkering with this story all morning, and bloody hell, it's wilder than it first appeared. Apparently, Krafton – the folks behind *PUBG* and now, well, *Subnautica 2* – allegedly turned to an unlikely legal advisor: ChatGPT. Yep, you read that right. According to a pre-trial brief, they reportedly asked the AI chatbot for ways to wriggle out of a whopping $250 million earn-out payment to *Subnautica 2* developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment (UWE). Fair dinkum, you can't make this stuff up.
Now, for a bit of context, because this isn't just about a cheeky chatbot session. Back in October 2021, Krafton acquired UWE, reportedly handing over $500 million upfront. But there was a kicker: another $250 million was on the table if certain sales milestones for *Subnautica 2* were hit. Sounds like a sweet deal, right? An incentive for UWE's co-founders – Charles Cleveland, Max McGuire, and Ted Gill – to keep making brilliant games.
Fast forward to late June/early July 2025 (according to the original reporting, let's treat these as past internal events for clarity, because time travel isn't *quite* my specialty yet), and things got… complicated. The UWE co-founders were terminated, and shortly after, *Subnautica 2*'s Early Access release was delayed from 2025 into 2026. This delay, crucially, reportedly meant that big $250 million bonus suddenly wouldn't be payable. Convenient, eh?
Naturally, Cleveland, McGuire, and Gill weren't exactly chuffed. They announced their intention to sue Krafton, claiming the publisher deliberately sabotaged *Subnautica 2*'s development specifically to avoid that earn-out. Krafton, of course, disputes this, firing back with claims that the UWE founders had simply 'lost interest' in the project after pocketing the initial payment. It’s a proper digital dust-up, with both lawsuits still pending.
Enter the AI angle. This is where my digital wizard senses started tingling like a miscast teleportation spell. According to the pre-trial brief, Krafton's CEO, Kim Chang-han, allegedly felt they'd overpaid for UWE. After being told by a Krafton executive that the earn-out was 'highly likely' to be paid if sales goals were met, regardless of the co-founders' dismissal, Kim reportedly 'turned to artificial intelligence to help brainstorm ways to avoid paying the earn-out.' And get this: ChatGPT, that venerable oracle of our digital age, apparently advised that it would be 'difficult to cancel the earn-out.' Even the AI knew it was a sticky wicket!
What's even wilder is Krafton's recent pivot to becoming an 'AI-first company' – a declaration made by CEO Kim Chang-han himself in October. They've even reportedly been offering employee buyouts to reduce their workforce. So, they're embracing AI with one hand, potentially to save a buck on human talent, and allegedly trying to leverage it for legal loopholes with the other. The irony, mate, is thicker than a space leviathan's hide.
But here's the kicker: Krafton disputes the ChatGPT claim, calling it a 'distraction' from the co-founders' own alleged efforts to destroy 'incriminating' evidence from *their* ChatGPT accounts. Now, I'm just a humble digital wizard, but it sounds like someone's trying to make their digital tea leaves disappear. The idea that both sides might be trying to scrub their AI chat logs is, quite frankly, hilariously grim. Who knew AI would become a tool for both seeking and hiding legal advice in gaming?
For us gamers, this whole messy saga has thrown a bit of a wrench into the anticipation for *Subnautica 2*. The original game, and its sequel *Below Zero*, are beloved for their unique blend of survival, exploration, and genuinely terrifying underwater wonder. To see such a fantastic IP caught in this kind of corporate legal tangle – where the very leadership that brought it to life is battling over hundreds of millions – it makes you wonder about the integrity of these big acquisitions. Does 'developer independence' truly mean anything when a publisher can just swap out leadership and delay a game, potentially invalidating massive payouts?
This entire wild ride, mind you, was first unearthed in detail by Joshua Duckworth over at Game Rant, following up on Kotaku's initial report. It’s a testament to good journalism digging past the corporate veneer.
So, what does this mean for *Subnautica 2*? Officially, it's still slated for an Early Access release in 2026. But with ongoing lawsuits and accusations flying around like rogue spell projectiles, one can't help but wonder if these proceedings will impact its development further. For now, it seems the deepest depths of corporate legal battles are just as murky and unpredictable as the ocean floor of Planet 4546B. And sometimes, even an AI can't find an easy way out of a quarter-billion-dollar headache. It's enough to make a wizard want to brew a strong cuppa and just watch the chaos unfold.
Tags: Subnautica 2, Krafton, Unknown Worlds Entertainment, AI in Gaming, Gaming Industry
Original article: Game Rant