Krafton responded to the ruling handed down as part of a lawsuit filed by the ousted Unknown Worlds lead. The ruling came down in favor of the Unknown Worlds developer and ordered the fired CEO to be reinstated to his original position.
It was an embarrassing loss for Krafton, so it's not surprising that the company said it “respectfully disagrees” with the ruling. In a statement, a Krafton representative said the publisher was “evaluating.” [its] options, but it suggests that Subnautica 2 could finally be released in early access.
Krafton has suffered major losses in court, but shows no signs of passing up its $250 million payout.
“While we respectfully disagree with today’s ruling, we are evaluating our options as we determine a path forward,” a spokesperson was quoted as saying when the ruling was handed down on Monday. “Today’s ruling does not resolve the former executives’ claims for damages or proceeds related to Subnautica 2, and additional litigation is still pending.”
The statement then talks about Subnautica 2. The game has been at the center of a lawsuit, with the former Unknown Worlds lead claiming that Krafton blocked him from releasing the game in early access on Steam because it would trigger a $250 million payout that the publisher had agreed to. In response, Krafton claimed that they blocked the release because the game was not ready.
“Krafton puts the player at the center of every decision, and that will never change,” the representative says. “Over the past few months, Krafton and the Unknown Worlds team have [Subnautica 2] We prepare for our Early Access release with a continued focus on providing the best possible experience for the Subnautica community. We look forward to releasing the new updated version to our players as soon as possible.”
Here, Krafton is favoring Subnautica 2 to get an early release soon, despite blocking it last year. You might expect the publisher to maintain its claim that the game isn't ready yet, but after the developers' work on Unknown Worlds while the lawsuit is ongoing, it is now ready.
Nonetheless, Subnautica 2's early access efforts are now in the hands of returning CEO Ted Gill. The judge overseeing the case specifically ruled that Gill was granted control over the game going forward, including the ability to push it on Steam. As of now, there is no release date, just a vague 2026 timeframe.
