Subnautica 2 Devs Get a Bonus, But Is It Enough to Calm the Kraken?
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Krafton is trying to quell the *Subnautica 2* development storm by offering a bonus to the devs after delaying the game and firing senior staff, but the payout is significantly less than initially promised. Seems like corporate damage control at its finest, or at least a large spreadsheet-brained entity thinks so.
Right, so the drama surrounding *Subnautica 2* just keeps getting weirder. Remember that whole kerfuffle with Krafton (the big boss company) firing senior staff and delaying the game? Yeah, well, now they're saying everyone's gonna get a bonus... eventually. But hold your seahorses, mate, it's not quite the treasure chest they were promised.
According to a report by Bloomberg (cheers to them for digging this up), Krafton is dangling a $25 million carrot in front of about 40 specific developers at Unknown Worlds, the studio behind *Subnautica 2*. That's a decent chunk of change, sure, but it's a far cry from the initial $250 million bonus pool that was supposed to be up for grabs if the game hit certain sales targets by the end of *this* year. All other staff will get a bonus this year, as an advance on the 2026 profit-sharing. The exact amounts for these employees remain unspecified.
So, what happened? Well, grab your snorkel, because it's time to dive into some murky corporate waters.
Back in 2021, Krafton bought Unknown Worlds for a cool $500 million, with that extra $250 million promised as an "earnout" if the studio raked in enough revenue by the end of 2025. Problem is, *Subnautica 2* isn't out yet, is it? And Krafton decided it needed more work, despite studio co-founder Charlie Cleveland feeling it was ready for early access. This disagreement seemingly led to a bit of a bloodbath (metaphorically speaking, of course). Cleveland, along with Ted Gill and Max MacGuire, got the boot. Krafton claims they abandoned their posts. Blimey.
Now, Krafton has installed Steve Papoutsis (from another Krafton studio, Striking Distance) as the new CEO and pushed the game's release back to 2026. Which, naturally, had the remaining devs worried about their bonuses. Hence, the scaled-down, extended bonus plan. It seems like Krafton is trying to smooth things over before they get even messier. Especially since the ousted developers are reportedly suing the publisher. This is getting messier than a crashed Lifepod, isn't it?
Basically, it looks like Krafton is trying to cap the damage. And as long as the damage control doesn't exceed the $250 million, it will all be worth it from their perspective. Earlier this week, a document surfaced online showing scope was reduced on the game in the last two years. Whether that was a leak from Krafton themselves, however, is still unknown. So, what's the takeaway here?
Well, it's a reminder that even in the seemingly idyllic world of game development, corporate realities can be as harsh and unforgiving as the darkest depths of the ocean. Let's just hope this doesn't impact the quality of *Subnautica 2* too much. We all want a good game, right?
Tags: Subnautica 2, Krafton, Game Development, Gaming Industry, Bonuses
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun