After one of the most public and shocking disputes we've seen in the gaming industry, Krafton has agreed to pay Subnautica 2 developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment a $250 million bonus that the conglomerate desperately tried to avoid. This is according to the Korea Economic Daily (per IGN).
The bonus was the subject of a legal dispute, where Krafton was accused by Unknown Worlds founders Charlie Cleveland, Max McGuire and Ted Gill of removing them from their respective positions to delay the release of Subnautica 2 and dodge a massive payout that depended on the game's sales figures.
Krafton was forced by the court to reinstate Gil and his fellow co-founders and to pay Unknown Worlds a bill of almost $250 million due to the massive success of Subnautica 2.
Subnautica 2 has had an electric start to life, peaking at over 460,000 players on Steam right after launch. According to Alinea Analytics, the underwater survival game generated over $100 million in just a week, easily establishing Subnautica 2 as one of 2026's most commercially successful games.
The protracted legal drama arose from Krafton head Changhan Kim's reluctance to pay the bonus. When internal projects indicated the bonus was...
