Subnautica 2 Legal Battle Escalates as Lawyers Accuse Krafton of Leaking Early Access Date
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Legal representatives for reinstated Unknown Worlds CEO Ted Gill claim publisher Krafton intentionally leaked a May early access release date for Subnautica 2, damaging the game's community rollout and undermining studio leadership.
The messy legal fallout between publisher Krafton and the leadership of developer Unknown Worlds continues to spiral. Following a Delaware court order that reinstated Ted Gill as CEO of Unknown Worlds and granted him control over release planning, an internal memo surfaced revealing a targeted May early access launch for Subnautica 2. Legal representation for the studio founders argues that Krafton intentionally leaked this memo to box in the newly reinstated leadership and bypass proper community rollout procedures, severely undermining the marketing fanfare typically required for a major survival craft project.
Legal counsel for the developers submitted that the forced public disclosure disregarded the impact on the development team, the community, and the ongoing court proceedings. A proper launch window announcement should involve coordinated community outreach and carefully timed marketing to maximize player excitement, all of which was supposed to be directed by Gill. Instead, the sudden leak has created confusion among the player base and stripped the studio heads of the agency they fought to reclaim through the courts.
Krafton's legal team has fired back, claiming the memo was merely an internal communication celebrating development milestones and thanking staff for reaching the early access readiness review. They maintain that the message does not strip Gill of his authority to independently assess the game state or adjust the schedule. While the court has instructed both parties to confer on a final judgment, the future of the May release window remains uncertain. With millions in performance bonuses tied to the game's commercial reception, players waiting to dive back into the oceans should perhaps hold off on clearing their schedules just yet. Original reporting comes via Rock Paper Shotgun.
Tags: Subnautica 2, Krafton, Unknown Worlds, PC Gaming, Early Access
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun