Following months of internal issues between developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment (UWE) and publisher Krafton, Subnautica 2 has been released to the public and has quickly broken records for Steam player count. Many immediately believed Krafton would pay out a previously agreed-upon $250 million earnout to UWE, and now it has reportedly agreed to do just that.
Since its early access launch on May 14, Subnautica 2 has reportedly sold 4 million copies, but it was not certain it would make it to a proper early access release. In Summer 2025, Krafton released UWE CEO Ted Gill, alongside other senior staff members, and delayed the game itself. What followed was a very public lawsuit where Krafton reportedly used ChatGPT to attempt to get out of the $250m earnout agreement and claimed UWE was undermining/undercutting Subnautica 2, with those at UWE pushing back against all of this.
Subnautica 2 Update Adds More Resource Areas Alongside other Game Improvements
The second update for the second Subnautica is here, introducing fish behavior changes, more resources, and tweaks to the game’s controversial EULA.
A Massive Pay Day for Subnautica 2 Devs
Now, with Subnautica 2‘s launch potentially bigger than it could have been at one point, Krafton has reportedly agreed to pay the earn (according to IGN and South Korean business reports). Neither Krafton nor UWE has publicly commented on the earnout, and it is uncertain if either will, given recent litigation. But the release of Subnautica 2 and the reported victory for the devs does follow the return of Gill to UWE.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
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It comes as no surprise that Subnautica 2 generated $100 million by itself in just the first week, becoming the fastest-selling Steam game of 2026. The Korean Economic Daily is also reporting that Krafton’s deal was an agreement to pay $3.12 for every $1 generated, or up to $250 million, to former shareholders every time the studio’s revenue topped $69.8 million in a month, since the Krafton acquisition of UWE in 2021. It also notes that $250 is roughly equivalent to 35% of Krafton’s operating profit in 2025.
It remains to be seen how the business relationship between the developer and publisher develops from here, but it’s worth noting that this lawsuit and release come at a pivotal time for Krafton, to say nothing about UWE. Obviously, the release of Subnautica 2 is a big deal, but somehow it’s trumped by Krafton’s pivot to an AI-first company. In October 2025, Krafton’s CEO committed the company to being AI-first, significantly changing operations and offering buyouts for developers to leave the studio. Krafton’s AI ambitions may or may not yet be unchanged, and it’ll be interesting to see how all of this plays out. To be clear, Krafton may have AI-first ambitions, but Unknown Worlds Entertainment does not. UWE states that Subnautica 2 did not use generative AI in development for writing, art, or game design.
Drag weapons to fill the grid
Drag weapons to fill the grid
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Overall, most fans are going to be focused on Subnautica 2‘s future. It is just an Early Access launch, and Subnautica 2‘s roadmap includes various Quality of Life improvements, enhancements to co-op/multiplayer components, and major expansions of its core content. Throughout, it’s like Subnautica 2 continues to sell well and has a strong presence in the gaming world.
- Released
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May 14, 2026
- ESRB
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Everyone 10+ / Language, Fantasy Violence
