While Subnautica 2 developer Unknown Worlds may have seen a sliver of stability with its leadership returning to the studio, it looks like the recently-announced May release window for the title’s Early Access launch may not end up being accurate. According to Game File, the studio had not intended to make this announcement.
In a letter sent to Vice Chancellor Lori Will of Delaware’s Court of Chancery, a lawyer noted that this announcement wasn’t made properly, and that it could end up “damaging the game and sowing additional confusion among the Subnautica community.” The letter also refers to Krafton’s decision as being “self-serving”.
The decision to launch Subnautica 2 into Early Access in May was made by Krafton after Unknown Worlds had hit key development milestones. This was uncovered in a memo from earlier this week, and ended up catching the attention of the lawyers representing co-founder trio Ted Gill, Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire. They sent a letter about having “serious concerns” with how studio head Steve Papoutsis announced the milestone to developers, noting that he didn’t have the authority to do so.
“Krafton self-servingly announced the launch without any regard to its impact on the game, the team, or the community—let alone this Court’s Opinion,” continued the lawyer’s letter. “Announcing the release of a game is momentous, and it is typically accompanied by significant marketing activity, fanfare, and community coordination. And most importantly, the announcement is carefully designed to maximize excitement for the game. That entire process was supposed to be driven by Mr. Gill. However, in defiance of the Court’s Opinion, Krafton has now taken that away, further damaging the game and sowing additional confusion among the Subnautica community.”
The letter went on to speculate that the memo sent out by Papoutsis had been “internationally leaked” by Krafton. In response, lawyers for the company would offer a new statement, defending Krafton and noting that the memo sent by Papoutsis was simply meant to celebrate the development of Subnautica 2.
“Papoutsis’s message was simply celebrating the UW employees’ efforts toward a past event: Krafton’s pre-Opinion determination that Subnautica 2 was ready for Early Access release. There was nothing improper about conveying the results of the milestone review or thanking the development team for their dedication and talent.”
They went on to note that Gill, having been re-appointed as CEO of Unknown Worlds, will be “able to assess independently his views on the state of Subnautica 2 and the appropriate release schedule; nothing in Papoutsis’s message alters Gill’s authority or discretion.”
For her part, the vice chancellor hasn’t issued any response to either of the letters, at least for now. Gill’s re-appointment was confirmed earlier this week as part of Will’s judgment. The vice chancellor noted that “Krafton breached the EPA by terminating the Key Employees without valid Cause and by improperly seizing operational control of Unknown Worlds.”
In the meantime, what this means for Subnautica 2’s May launch window remains to be seen. If the title is indeed ready to hit Early Access, these plans aren’t likely to be changed, and we’ll simply start seeing more marketing about the underwater survival crafting game in the coming weeks and months.
