Krafton Abruptly Replaces Leadership of Subnautica 2 Studio With Exec Behind The Callisto Protocol
|
|
- Steve Papoutsis was appointed to the position of CEO at Unknown Worlds, Krafton’s subsidiary studio behind the Subnautica series.
- The new CEO of Unknown Worlds was previously at the helm of Striking Distance Studios, the developer behind The Callisto Protocol.
- CEO Ted Gill, co-founder Charlie Cleveland, and co-founder Max McGuire departed Unknown Worlds.
Steve Papoutsis was appointed to the position of CEO at Unknown Worlds, Krafton’s subsidiary studio behind the Subnautica series, according to the official announcement from Krafton.
The new leader of Unknown Worlds was previously CEO of Striking Distance Studios, the developer behind The Callisto Protocol, a game with an approximately $160 million budget, which as of time of writing has a ‘Mixed’ rating on Steam with 32,456 reviews and a Metascore of 69.
Notably, in February 2025, during Papoutsis’s leadership, Striking Distance Studios lowered the sales target for The Callisto Protocol from an expected cumulative 5 million copies to 2.1 million and laid off most of the game’s developers.
Papoutsis also held leadership roles at the now-closed Visceral Games, Baobab Studios, and Crystal Dynamics.
Simultaneously with the appointment of Papoutsis, three key executives of Unknown Worlds, including CEO Ted Gill, co-founder and Subnautica franchise creative director Charlie Cleveland, and co-founder and technical director Max McGuire, departed the studio for undisclosed reasons.
