When you think about it Subnautica 2 And the saga of the unknown world could not do anything. Clafton, the unknown world parent company that expelled three key leaders last week, has issued a lengthy statement explaining the decision. In this message, Clafton argues that the trio “relinquished the responsibility left to them.” The studio’s two co-founders also said they refused to return to the development role they had held in creating the first Subnautica and helping them keep pushing up the upcoming sequel.
So, as a very quick summary. Last week, Unknown World co-founders Charlie Cleveland, Max McGuire and President Ted Gill were unexpectedly replaced by new CEO Steve Papiutos, who was recently at the helm of Callisto protocol developers’ strike distances. Cleveland wasn’t very much in the way of communicating about why the trio was let go. Cleveland claims that the Subnautica 2 is “ready” for Early Access this year after its departure.
Just yesterday, a report from Bloomberg claimed that the release date for Subnaucica 2 would be pushed back to 2026. The report also claims that if the Unknown World meets certain revenue targets by the end of 2025, its staff is eligible for a bonus payment of $250 million.
Currently, Krafton is trying to set the record straight. The extraordinary statement has heavily criticised Cleveland, McGuire and Gill, acknowledging the existence of the $250 million payment. Most of that would have obviously gone to the previous leadership team.
“We allocated around 90% of the acquisition compensation up to $250 million to three former executives. We hope they demonstrate positive involvement in leadership and Lamination 2 development,” says Krafton.
“However, unfortunately, previous leadership abandoned the responsibility entrusted to them. Subnautica2 originally planned an early access launch in early 2024, but the timeline was significantly delayed. Clafton made multiple requests to Charlie and Max. He asked Charlie to concentrate on developing Subnautica 2. However, instead of taking part in game development, he chose to focus on his personal film projects.
“Krafton believes the lack of core leadership has resulted in disruption and significant delays in the direction of the overall project’s schedule. The current initial access version is also lacking in terms of content volume.
“We are extremely disappointed in our previous acts of leadership and, more than anything, we feel betrayed by our fans not respecting the trust they placed on them.”
oh. This is an incredible, poignant statement. Cleveland and McGuire were particularly cherished by fans for their role in creating the original Subnautica, resulting in initially making a fuss at the time of removal. But if what Clafton says is true, this depicts the situation from a very different perspective. Krafton’s message is highly critical of the trio that has passed, but is full of praise for developers who are actively working on the game, saying they will “continue to provide complete and unwavering support.”
“Crafton has committed fair and impartial compensation to all unknown world employees who have made an ongoing and tireless contribution to the development of Subnautica 2. We believe that the dedication and effort of this team is at the heart of Subnautica’s continued evolution. Again, a positive sentiment, but it’s nothing worthwhile that this will never guarantee that an extraordinary $250 million payment will still arrive.”
I have to say, I was blown away completely by this. Some skeptics believe that all of this upheaval is the result of trying to growl from paying that big bonus to the studio’s old leadership. However, I also highly doubt that the accusations made by Krafton are completely unfounded. It will be very interesting to see if Cleveland (the most vocal trio of the trio since the removal), McGuire, or Gill publicly comment on these allegations.
Of course, I will continue to post more developments on Unknown Worlds and Subnautica 2, but in the meantime there are some great survival games that you can jump in right away. You can also check out the best gaming keyboard guides if you are trying to boost your peripherals.
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