It’s been a strange week for Unknown Worlds Entertainment, which saw its leadership suddenly ousted and replaced by Steve Papoutsis as CEO. The developer assured fans that the day-to-day team remains unchanged, but former founder Charlie Cleveland has released his own statement on Reddit.
Providing some background on how he started the studio alongside Ted Gill and Max McGuire, Cleveland says that they were “so excited to release Subnautica 2 into early access. Many of the folks that started the journey with us nearly 20 years ago have worked hard on Subnautica 2, and they’re joined by some incredible new talent who were drawn to the studio by their love of the games and their passion for the way we’ve made them.”
While acknowledging the high expectations, he said that the team had “poured their hearts into the game, and their dedication really shows. We helped pioneer early access, and our community seems to love it just as much as we do. It’s the best way to develop a game like this.” Which is why the “events of this week” provided “quite a shock.”
“We know that the game is ready for early access release, and we know you’re ready to play it. And while we thought this was going to be our decision to make, at least for now, that decision is in Krafton’s hands. And after all these years, to find that I’m no longer able to work at the company I started stings.”
Cleveland says that the team’s priority is always to “make the best-damned game we can for the best community in the world.” He also hinted that “this is not where the story ends.”
Subnautica 2 doesn’t have an early access release date, but it’s coming to Xbox Series X/S and PC alongside Game Pass this year. That the launch date is ultimately Krafton’s decision suggests that it wants to make some changes to the current game. However, Unknown Worlds has reiterated that it will remain a single-player-focused experience with optional co-op and no microtransactions, loot boxes, subscriptions or battle passes.
