Krafton has officially confirmed to IGN that Subnautica 2's release has been pushed back to 2026. This announcement follows reports suggesting the delay could result in the development team missing out on a $250 million bonus.
Krafton, the South Korean publisher known for the massively popular battle royale game PUBG, acquired Subnautica developer Unknown Worlds in October 2021. At the time of the acquisition, Krafton assured that Unknown Worlds would retain its operational independence. Following the initial announcement, the highly anticipated Subnautica 2 was scheduled to enter early access in 2025.
However, the Subnautica community was taken aback last week when founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire, along with CEO Ted Gill, were replaced by former Striking Distance CEO Steve Papoutsis. This leadership change raised concerns about the sequel's future direction.
Cleveland later explained on Reddit that while he and his team believed Subnautica 2 was prepared for an early access release, the final decision rested with Krafton. Shortly after, Krafton issued a community update hinting at a potential delay.
Earlier this week, Bloomberg reported that Subnautica 2 had been postponed until 2026—just months before the development team stood to receive a $250 million performance bonus. According to Bloomberg, the delay occurred against the wishes of the studio's former leadership. The bonus was contingent on Unknown Worlds meeting specific revenue targets by the end of 2025. With Subnautica 2 not launching this year, achieving those targets appears unlikely, meaning the bonus will not be paid out.
As reported by Bloomberg:
Unknown Worlds' leadership intended to distribute the bonus among all studio employees, totaling approximately 100 people. Staff employed at the time of the acquisition were informed they could receive bonuses ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars, according to sources.
Krafton has now officially confirmed the 2026 delay for Subnautica 2. In a statement to IGN, the publisher maintained that the decision was unrelated to "any contractual or financial considerations." Instead, Krafton attributed the delay to community feedback from playtests, stating that discussions about postponing the release were already underway before the leadership transition.
Krafton's complete statement reads:
Playtesting for Subnautica 2 provided valuable community feedback that strengthened our confidence in the game's direction. Simultaneously, it identified several areas that would benefit from additional refinement before launch.
Since community input is fundamental to our development process, we've decided to allow the team more time to incorporate this feedback and deliver a more polished experience. Consequently, Subnautica 2's Early Access launch has been moved to 2026.
This decision was driven entirely by our commitment to quality and providing players with the best possible experience. It was not affected by contractual or financial factors. Furthermore, discussions about this delay preceded the recent leadership changes at the studio.
For fans, the anticipation for Subnautica 2 continues.
