Subnautica 2 / Unknown Worlds
Early access to Subnautica 2 has been officially postponed to 2026, and players were shown a short gameplay teaser. The top Unknown Worlds players are less fortunate — they will not receive the promised huge bonuses.
In addition to the news about the postponement, the team released the first full gameplay teaser after hints of the terrifying Leviathan, VR, and gene modification. The video shows a new base, decor, scanning alien fauna, underwater exploration, and familiar survival mechanics. According to the developers, the decision to postpone the release is due to the desire to add more content to the first public release. Everything looks exactly as the fans wanted — only the context around the release spoils the effect a bit.
The fact is that the publisher of Subnautica 2 — Krafton — has officially confirmed the postponement of the game’s early access release to 2026 a few months before the launch. The release is a key milestone in the deal, which includes a $250 million bonus to developers. If it is postponed, these payments will most likely not be made.
The agreement with Unknown Worlds was signed in 2021, according to BloombergThe bonus was to be divided among all 100 or so employees of the studio. But here’s the kicker: a week ago, three top executives were suddenly fired from the company. Among them are Subnautica designer and director Charlie Cleveland, CEO Ted Gill, and co-founder Max McGuire.
And the fact that Krafton has postponed the release to 2026 does not coincide with the words of the studio’s co-founder Charlie Cleveland. After his recent resignation, he stated that Subnautica 2 is «ready for early access» and that «players are ready to play it». Although Krafton has publicly denied any financial implications of the release delay — it looks different. According to him, the delay was allegedly discussed even before the changes in management.
The new CEO of Unknown Worlds, Steve Papoutsis (formerly CEO of Striking Distance Studios), also said that he knew nothing about the terms of the bonus. He added that no one told him that the changes were related to finances.
As a result, instead of the excitement around the first Subnautica 2 gameplay, the comments under the teaser are filled with demands for Krafton to pay the promised bonuses to the studio’s top players. It is not known whether the scandal will affect the quality of the game, which is actually almost ready for release. We have to wait until 2026 to see if the positive reviews after testing were true.
Source: PC Gamer