Highly anticipated survival game Subnautica 2 is slated to be released on Steam Early Access in May, but that doesn’t mean the behind-the-scenes legal drama between developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment and publisher Krafton is coming to an end anytime soon.
As of this writing, Krafton is no longer listed as the publisher on the PC game’s Steam page. Instead, only Unknown Worlds is listed as Subnautica 2‘s publisher. This change was instituted on April 7, but only just made the rounds on social media like Bluesky and Reddit. Polygon has reached out to Krafton for comment and will update this story when the company responds.
Unknown Worlds seemingly becoming the sole publisher of Subnautica 2 is the latest development in a messy story that began last summer when Krafton delayed Subnautica 2‘s Early Access release, prompting a legal battle over a potential $250 million payout to Unknown Worlds. At the time, Krafton fired the studio’s CEO as well as other members of its leadership team.
Last month, a judge ordered Krafton to reinstate Ted Gill as CEO of Unknown Worlds and to not obstruct Gill’s “authority over the early access launch of Subnautica 2.” Except, Krafton almost immediately did just that. That same week, Krafton announced, with little fanfare, that Subnautica 2 would release in May. Gill wrote to the judge, arguing that “Krafton self-servingly announced the launch without any regard to its impact on the game, the team, or the community — let alone this Court’s Opinion.” He had only just been reinstated at Unknown Worlds and hadn’t had the opportunity to review the studio’s work on it before Krafton went ahead and gave Subnautica 2 a release window.
The May release window leaves Gill between a rock and a hard place. “Gill must deal with publishing agreements, launch advertising planning, and other back-end issues. He now needs to do so with the axe of fan disappointment hanging over his head if he changes the launch timing,” his legal team’s motion stated. For now, Subnautica 2 is still earmarked for an Early Access launch in May for Windows PC and Xbox Series X.
Given that Krafton owns Unknown Worlds, it’s not immediately clear what Krafton not publishing the game would entail. Krafton being removed as publisher on the game’s Steam page could be a move just for optics in an attempt to dissociate it from the game. Or, it could signal more news is forthcoming and that the behind-the-scenes legal battle hasn’t yet reached a conclusion.
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