Subnautica 2 Delayed to 2026 Despite Former Leadership Claiming It Was Ready
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Key points
- Subnautica 2 has been delayed to 2026 after it was revealed that the game was ready for early access by the former studio leads.
- A clause in Krafton’s acquisition of Unknown Worlds mentions a $250-million bonus if the studio reaches certain revenue targets.
- New Unknown Worlds CEO Steve Papoutsis was asked whether the delay was made to avoid Krafton paying the bonus.
On July 10, Bloomberg published a report revealing that Subnautica 2 has been delayed by Krafton. The news came right after a post by the former leadership, fired by Krafton, saying that the game is essentially ready for early access.
Bloomberg also said that there was a clause in Krafton’s acquisition of Unknown Worlds, the studio behind Subnautica, where the studio would receive a $250-million bonus if Unknown Worlds could hit certain revenue targets by the end of 2025.
With Subnautica 2, one of the studio’s most anticipated titles, being delayed to 2026, there is a strong possibility the studio will miss its revenue targets. Unknown Worlds CEO Steve Papoutsis was asked whether the delay was intended to help Krafton avoid paying the bonus.
Papoutsis replied that he wasn’t familiar with the contract specifics and that “I would appreciate patience on this particular topic.” He mentioned that the reason for the game’s delay was to add more content to the game.
On July 2, 2025, Krafton announced the sudden departure of Ted Gill, Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire. These three co-founded the Unknown Worlds studio. With their departure, Papoutsis took over as CEO. The same day Bloomberg published the report, the developers released a gameplay reveal teaser of Subnautica 2 on YouTube.
