Krafton has confirmed the authenticity of a recently leaked internal presentation assessing the troubled development of Subnautica 2, adding further fuel to the ongoing dispute between the publisher and the ousted leadership team at Unknown Worlds.
Key Executives Removed Over Project Delays
On July 2, Krafton announced it had removed three key figures from the Subnautica 2 project: game director Charlie Cleveland, co-founder Max McGuire, and studio CEO Ted Gill. According to Krafton, the decision was prompted by what it described as a lack of progress, inadequate content delivery, and a failure to meet leadership duties. The South Korean publisher stated these issues left the game far behind schedule, forcing a reassessment of its development timeline.
The trio has since filed a lawsuit against Krafton, alleging wrongful dismissal and claiming the publisher’s accusations are unfounded.
Leaked Presentation Highlights Cut Content
On July 11, two slides from an internal presentation surfaced on the r/Subnautica_2 subreddit. The slides, dated May 2025, outlined numerous features that were cut or delayed during development. Krafton confirmed the slides’ authenticity in a prepared statement, describing them as part of a milestone review for Subnautica 2.
The leaked content shows that between Q2 2023 and Q2 2025, Unknown Worlds removed:
- Two biomes
- One Leviathan type
- Several creatures and tools
- The Trident vehicle
- Character customization
- A custom game mode
- Approximately six hours of story content
According to the slides, many of these elements were deferred rather than abandoned outright. However, the scaled-back scope reportedly made the planned early access launch infeasible, leading to the game’s delay. Originally targeted for 2024, Subnautica 2 is now slated for release in 2026.
Krafton Alleges Neglect of Duties
Krafton has publicly criticized the ousted executives, alleging that Cleveland prioritized a “personal film project” over his game director duties. The company cited this alleged neglect as a key reason the project fell behind schedule.
Cleveland Responds, Denies Allegations
In a social media post on July 11, Cleveland rejected Krafton’s claims, calling Subnautica his “life’s work” and denying he would ever abandon the project. He also announced that he, McGuire, and Gill are suing Krafton over their dismissal.
The lawsuit comes as the group stands to lose approximately $225 million in revenue target bonuses tied to Krafton’s 2021 acquisition of Unknown Worlds.
With both sides presenting conflicting narratives and the project now delayed by another two years, the future of Subnautica 2 remains uncertain amid mounting controversy.
