inZOI was "far, far, far less developed than Subnautica 2" around the time publisher Krafton decided to fire Unknown Worlds leads, says former CEO: "There wasn't a ton of game present"

A woman chasing a shining butterfly with a leaping cat on her shoulder in InZOI — (Image credit: Krafton)

The trial between former Subnautica 2 studio leads and publisher Krafton has just begun, and in a November 17 transcript reviewed by GamesRadar+, the two had plenty to say. Ex-Unknown Worlds CEO Ted Gill, for example, remarks at one point that Krafton's early access life sim inZOI was more like a "tech demo" compared to the apparent splendor of Subnautica 2.

Gill explains during questioning that Unknown Worlds had hoped to release Subnautica 2 in early access on August 14, 2025, but Krafton reportedly stalled on the launch once Gill "shared two scenarios at the time that showed us earning a large portion of the earnout and then almost all of it," which was close to $250 million. Krafton stalled, says Gill, even though its newest title was in an underwhelming state.

The underwater sequel – which is now set to release in 2026 after Krafton parted ways with Gill, along with Unknown Worlds co-founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire in July – was instead an "overwhelmingly positive" experience according to Krafton and playtesters.

"Feedback was getting increasingly positive," during Subnautica 2 playtests, Gill says, though he also admits that, "at the same time – and this is why you do it – we had lots of constructive criticism."