Subnautica 2 is officially delayed to 2026, publisher Krafton has confirmed to IGN. The news follows a report that claimed the delay may cost the development team a $250 million bonus.
Krafton, the Korean company behind smash hit battle royale PUBG, acquired the $500 million-valued Subnautica developer Unknown Worlds in October 2021. At the time, Krafton insisted Unknown Worlds would continue to operate as an independent outfit. Following its announcement, the hotly anticipated Subnautica 2 was set for an early access release later in 2025.
However, last week, Unknown Worlds founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire, and CEO Ted Gill, were replaced by former Striking Distance CEO, Steve Papoutsis, in a shakeup that shocked the Subnautica community and sparked concern over the sequel’s future.
Cleveland subsequently revealed on Reddit that while he and his colleagues believed Subnautica 2 was "ready for early release... that decision is in Krafton's hands." Krafton issued a community update of its own, suggesting a delay was incoming.
Then, earlier this week, Bloomberg reported that Subnautica 2 was delayed to 2026 — just months before it was due to pay a $250 million bonus to the development team. Bloomberg added that the delay was “against the wishes of the studio’s former leadership,” and that the $250 million bonus would have kicked in if Unknown Worlds hit certain revenue targets by the end of 2025. Without Subnautica 2 coming out this year, hitting those revenue targets is unlikely, and the bonus won’t be paid out.
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.
Now, Krafton has made Subnautica 2’s delay to 2026 official, but in a statement to IGN, it insisted the decision had nothing to do with “any contractual or financial considerations.” Instead, Krafton claimed, the delay was about responding to feedback from playtests, and delay talks were already under discussion before Cleveland, McGuire, and Gill were outed.
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 goes on.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
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