Krafton accused of leaking Subnautica 2 release date by co-founders' lawyers

Lawyers for Subnautica 2 studio Unknown Worlds’ recently reinstated leadership are accusing publisher Krafton of improperly and “self-servingly” revealing a May early access release window for the game.

The details:

• Last year, the South Korean publisher fired CEO Ted Gill and co-founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire, who alleged Krafton removed them from their positions and delayed Subnautica 2 to avoid paying up to a $250 million bonus tied to the game’s early access launch.
• Earlier this week, a Delaware court ruled that Krafton had breached its contract with the firing, ordering that Gill be reinstated as CEO of Unknown Worlds, restoring his access to the studio’s Steam publishing tools, and giving him sole authority over Subnautica 2’s early access launch plans.
• As reported by Game File, an internal memo from outgoing CEO Steve Papoutsis revealed that Subnautica 2 was ready for an early access release in May. The fired trio’s lawyers have now accused Krafton of leaking the memo online and therefore “self-servingly” announcing the launch date. It’s argued that the move could “blunt initial sales” and ultimately result in the $250 million bonus not being paid out.
• Krafton has responded to the allegations, stating that the former CEO was simply celebrating the work that Unknown Worlds had completed and that Gill will be able to “assess independently his views on the state of Subnautica 2 and the appropriate release schedule.”