Subnautica 2 Delayed? Looks Like Someone's Diving for Dubloons (But Not the Devs)
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Krafton's delaying *Subnautica 2*, and rumors are swirling that it's to avoid paying out a massive bonus to the dev team, leading to some serious shakeups at Unknown Worlds and a whole lot of disappointed fans.
Right, buckle up, because this one's a bit of a salty tale. It seems Krafton, the big kahunas behind *Subnautica 2*, are apparently pulling the plug on an early access release and shoving the launch window into 2026. And the reason why? Well, according to a report over at Rock Paper Shotgun (bless their cotton socks), it might just be to avoid coughing up a whopping $250 million bonus to the development team at Unknown Worlds.
Bloody hell, talk about a corporate kraken rising from the depths!
Now, the story gets even spicier. Apparently, Krafton gave a swift kick in the pants to some senior figures at Unknown Worlds – including co-founder Charlie Cleveland – and 'replaced' them with Steve Papoutsis, the CEO of Striking Distance (the chaps who brought us *The Callisto Protocol*). Cleveland, in a post on social media, said he was quite taken aback by the whole thing, especially since he reckoned *Subnautica 2* was ready for early access.
During an all-hands meeting (which, let's be honest, must have been a barrel of laughs), employees grilled new CEO Papoutsis about the delay. Apparently, he said that while the software was indeed "in a great spot," Krafton and Unknown Worlds weren't exactly "aligned around" a launch. (Corpo-speak at its finest, mate!)
And the million-dollar question (or rather, the $250 million question): Is the delay all about dodging that hefty bonus payout? Papoutsis denied it, naturally, but you know what they say: if it walks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck… it's probably a really sneaky duck.
Krafton has confirmed the delay to IGN, stating it's "to give ourselves a little extra time." Cleveland, understandably, isn't thrilled. "[The] events of this week have been quite a shock," he said. "We know that the game is ready for early access release and we know you’re ready to play it. And while we thought this was going to be our decision to make, at least for now, that decision is in Krafton’s hands. And after all these years, to find that I’m no longer able to work at the company I started stings.”
Here's the real kicker, though: *Subnautica 2* is currently the second most wishlisted game on Steam, only lagging behind *Hollow Knight: Silksong* (which, let's be honest, is starting to feel like gaming's version of waiting for Godot). So, yeah, there are a lot of eager beavers waiting to dive into this one.
Look, delaying a game can be a smart move if it needs more polish, but the timing and circumstances here smell a bit fishy (pun intended). Is Krafton genuinely concerned about delivering a perfect product, or are they just trying to save a few quid at the expense of the developers and the players? Only time will tell. But one thing's for sure: this situation has left a bad taste in everyone's mouths.
Tags: Subnautica 2, Krafton, Game Development, Indie Games, Gaming Industry
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun