Update: 07/09/2025 22:20BST - Krafton and Unknown Worlds have now officially delayed Subnautica 2's Early Access release into 2026, claiming it needs "a little extra time" to respond to community feedback. Original story follows.
Krafton removed Unknown Worlds Entertainment's three co-founders—Ted Gill, Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire—and installed Steve Papoustis (formerly of Striking Distance Studios) as studio head in a shocking move last week.
There remains a lot of concern from fans about the status of Subnautica 2, which is set to release in early access later this year. Although Krafton's statement seemed to imply that Papoustis was installed to speed up development of Subnautica 2, Cleveland said in a post about his dismissal last week that Subnautica 2 is "ready for early access."
However, in a statement given to Kotaku by Krafton, the publisher implies this isn't the case.
"Following the recent leadership transition, we are in the process of refining our development plans and preparing for an Early Access launch under a more clearly defined vision," the statement reads. "Some adjustments to the schedule may be required."
While this isn't an explicit confirmation of a delay to Subnautica 2's early access release, it's also not...
