New Unknown Worlds CEO Steve Papoutsis says the recent calls to boycott Subnautica 2 over the studio's recent leadership upheaval are "very disappointing."
Previously of The Callisto Protocol studio Striking Distance, Papoutsis stepped in as Unknown Worlds' new CEO early this month after Krafton fired the studio's former leaders and co-founders Ted Gill, Charlie Cleveland, and Max McGuire, allegedly for abandoning their posts.
The ousted leaders have since collectively filed a lawsuit claiming Krafton "flagrantly breached both the letter and the spirit of the promises at the very core of its agreement to purchase Unknown Worlds" in an effort to withhold a $250 million payout stipulated in its $500 million buyout.
Regardless of the true reality of the situation, which may never come into clear view, the backlash from the Subnautica community has dominated the news cycle for the better part of a month now. The new top post of all time on the Subnautica subreddit reads: "Do not buy Subnautica 2" and alleges the game was delayed to 2026 "so that devs wouldn't receive $250 million in bonuses." I pointed this post out to Papoutsis in our recent conversation.
"Wow. Yeah. I mean, I guess my initial reaction is, that's very disappointing," Papoutsis said. "Making games is a labor of love, and people put a lot of effort into making those games. Throughout the time I've been involved in making games, there's there always been changes. There have always been people that have come and gone.
"All I can say in this particular instance is the people that started on the journey of building Subnautica 2, they're here. They care. They're working diligently to deliver a great experience for players that is an evolution of Subnautica, the franchise, not a major departure from the things that our players enjoyed and loved. The vision has been to stay true to what made the original Subnautica so special."
In a statement sent to GamesRadar+ in the aftermath of my conversation with Papoutsis, Krafton alleged, "Charlie and Max have had minimal–to-no involvement in the development of SN2. The SN2 development team remains intact and is actively continuing its work."
Added Papoutsis, "[current Unknown Worlds leadership is] committed to the community, the spirit of open development. We're not looking to change the monetization model or add microtransactions or any of these things that people tend to find as a negative. This is about delivering a meaningful player experience that respects the community and the legacy of Subnautica."
