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Update, April 15: Krafton has shared a statement with GamesRadar+ noting that it's still focused on supporting Subnautica 2's early-access launch next month. However, it didn't clarify whether or not it'll be publishing the game.
The statement reads: "KRAFTON is currently focused on successfully supporting the Early Access launch of Subnautica 2. We have nothing further to share at this time."
Original story:
Amid ongoing legal drama between Krafton and certain former Subnautica 2 devs from Unknown Worlds Entertainment, it's been spotted that the studio's owner is no longer listed as the game's publisher on Steam and the Epic Games Store, prompting questions about what's going on behind the scenes.
Until very recently, looking on Subnautica 2's Steam page would show both Unknown Worlds Entertainment and Krafton listed as the publishers of the upcoming underwater survival game. That's no longer the case – as highlighted by Space Warlord Baby Trading Simulator lead producer Michael Futter on Bluesky, it appears that in the last week, Krafton's name was removed from the Steam page. The same change has been made on the Epic Games Store at some point in the last month or so, too.
No public statement has been made to explain the change, but we've reached out to Krafton, and will update this article if we receive a response. It's a bit of a weird one, as legal proceedings aside, Krafton is ultimately the owner of Unknown Worlds Entertainment – it was announced that the studio was being acquired back in 2021, although at the time stated that "Unknown Worlds will function as an independent game development studio wholly owned by KRAFTON."
In case you missed it, the drama around Subnautica 2 kicked off last July when it was announced that Steve Papoutsis was taking over as CEO of Unknown Worlds, replacing original Subnautica designer and director Charlie Cleveland, Unknown Worlds CEO Ted Gill, and co-founder Max McGuire. Soon after, the game was delayed out of 2025 – a situation that became messy fast as Bloomberg reported that Unknown Worlds was apparently set to receive a $250 million bonus if it hit certain revenue thresholds by that year – although Krafton insisted that the decision was nothing to do with money.
What's more, since then, Krafton claimed that the "former leadership abandoned the responsibilities entrusted to them," and Cleveland filed a lawsuit against the company, claiming that Krafton "flagrantly breached both the letter and the spirit of the promises at the very core of its agreement to purchase Unknown Worlds," and "engaged in a months-long campaign to delay Subnautica 2's release," amongst other things.
More recently, it was ruled that Gill must be reinstated as CEO, but after Subnautica 2 got given a May early access release window, lawyers representing the former Unknown Worlds leadership trio reportedly claimed this announcement from Krafton was "further damaging the game and sowing additional confusion."
It's… a lot to take in, and the proceedings aren't yet over, so the situation is still unfolding. We'll just have to wait and see if this change to the Steam and Epic Games Store pages forms any part of it.
