Subnautica 2 Faces Another Delay Amid Bonus Report

Subnautica 2 has been officially delayed to 2026, publisher Krafton confirmed to IGN. This confirmation follows a report suggesting the postponement could cost the development team a $250 million bonus.

Krafton, the Korean publisher behind the massively popular battle royale game PUBG, acquired Subnautica developer Unknown Worlds in October 2021. Unknown Worlds was valued at approximately $500 million at the time, and Krafton assured that the studio would maintain its independent operations. Following its announcement, the highly anticipated Subnautica 2 was initially slated for an Early Access release in 2025.

However, in a surprising move last week, Unknown Worlds founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire, along with CEO Ted Gill, were replaced by former Striking Distance CEO Steve Papoutsis. This leadership shakeup alarmed the Subnautica community and raised concerns about the sequel's future.

Following the change, Cleveland commented on Reddit, stating that while he and his team believed Subnautica 2 was "ready for early release... that decision is in Krafton's hands." Krafton subsequently issued its own community update, hinting at an imminent delay.

Earlier this week, a Bloomberg report stated Subnautica 2 was pushed to 2026. This delay comes just months before the studio was due to receive a $250 million contractual bonus. According to the report, the delay occurred "against the wishes of the studio’s former leadership." The $250 million bonus was contingent upon Unknown Worlds hitting specific revenue targets by the end of 2025. With the game's 2025 release now canceled, achieving those targets is improbable, and the bonus will likely not be paid.

Per Bloomberg:

Unknown Worlds’ leadership planned to share the additional money with all of the studio’s employees, which number around 100. Staff who were at the company at the time of the acquisition were told they were eligible for bonuses ranging from hundreds of thousands of dollars to seven figures, the people said.

Krafton has now formally confirmed the delay to 2026. In a statement to IGN, the publisher insisted the decision was unrelated to "any contractual or financial considerations." Instead, Krafton claims the delay stemmed from community feedback during playtests, and discussions about postponing the launch were already underway before the recent leadership departure.

Here’s Krafton’s statement in full:

During playtests for Subnautica 2, we received valuable feedback from our community that reinforced our confidence in the game's direction. At the same time, the feedback highlighted a few areas that could benefit from further refinement before release.

As community voices play a central role in how we shape our games, we’ve made the decision to give the development team more time to implement that feedback and deliver a more complete experience. As a result, Subnautica 2’s Early Access launch has been rescheduled for 2026.

This decision was based solely on our commitment to quality and to delivering the best possible experience for players. It was not influenced by any contractual or financial considerations. Additionally, the decision had already been under discussion prior to recent leadership changes at the studio.

For fans, the wait for Subnautica 2 continues.