Former Subnautica 2 lead lays out full details of lawsuit against Krafton

The legal conflict between video game developer Unknown Worlds’ previous management and their parent company Krafton has escalated rapidly, with indications that things could intensify further. Ex-co-founder and lead developer of Unknown Worlds, Charlie Cleveland, has shared the entirety of the lawsuit filed against Krafton. The lawsuit claims that Krafton intentionally undermined the 2025 early access launch of Subnautica 2 to dodge a $250 million bonus payment, which would have been triggered if the game met its revenue targets.

Cleveland shared a lawsuit he filed on his personal social media, providing a link to the 58-page document prepared by Fortis Advisors (the collective plaintiffs). The document alleges that Krafton’s promised incentive – a $250 million payout to Unknown Worlds’ employees if they achieved revenue targets – is at the heart of Krafton’s recent decisions, such as dismissing the leadership team of Unknown Worlds and postponing the early access release of Subnautica 2 until 2026.

Greetings all,

The narrative unfolds further. In my prior communications, I hinted at additional developments. Today, I’m delighted to share with you the official complaint that the original Unknown Worlds shareholders have lodged against Krafton.

It’s regrettable we find ourselves in this predicament…

— Charlie Cleveland (@Flayra) July 16, 2025

In simpler terms, the lawsuit claims that Krafton violated their agreement with Unknown Worlds by not honoring promises related to Subnautica 2’s release. These promises included avoiding interference without a valid reason, maintaining leadership changes, and providing support for marketing, deadlines, and more. The plaintiffs argue that Krafton intentionally delayed these aspects to prevent Subnautica 2 from launching early access in 2025, which would have helped Unknown Worlds meet revenue targets and trigger a bonus payment. The plaintiffs are requesting $250 million from Krafton for breaching their agreement, causing damage to the trust of the community in both Unknown Worlds and Subnautica 2.

It appears that Unknown Worlds’ management is determined to carry on with this legal dispute, so keep an eye out for further developments and announcements regarding Unknown Worlds.

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2025-07-17 01:27