Krafton agrees to pay $250M bonus to Subnautica 2 devs after trying to dodge it
Krafton has reportedly agreed to pay Unknown Worlds Entertainment the $250 million bonus it spent much of 2025 trying to avoid, according to The Korea Economic Daily. The trigger: Subnautica 2 sold 4 million copies in early access within five days of launch, generating around $100 million in revenue. For players and anyone who followed the ugly dispute, it's a rare case of a publisher being held to its word.
The backstory
Krafton acquired Unknown Worlds in 2021. The deal included an earnout clause — a bonus structure promising up to $250 million if the studio hit certain revenue targets. When Subnautica 2 kept getting delayed into 2025, Krafton fired the studio's three co-founders in July, claiming performance failures. Unknown Worlds hit back, alleging Krafton was manufacturing grounds to skip the payout. Court filings later revealed Krafton's CEO had consulted ChatGPT for advice on how to avoid paying, per PC Gamer. A Delaware judge ordered Krafton to reinstate CEO Ted Gill in March 2026 and extended the earnout deadline by nine months to September 15, 2026.
The collapse of the plan
Subnautica 2 launched in early access on May 14, 2026. It sold 1 million copies in the first hour and 2 million within 12 hours. Krafton had internally projected 2–3 million sales by the end of 2025 — the game hit that figure in under half a day. The deal structure pays out $3.12 for every dollar of revenue up to the $250 million cap. With roughly $100 million in revenue generated almost immediately, the threshold was triggered fast, per WCCFtech.
Krafton's apparent motivation for settling now is straightforward: Unknown Worlds just proved it can make a massive hit. Continuing the legal fight while needing the studio to keep developing the game makes little business sense. Two major content updates are planned for Subnautica 2 in 2026, alongside smaller patches.
What it means
No official confirmation from either Krafton or Unknown Worlds has been published yet — the settlement reporting comes from The Gamer citing Korean financial media. But if the payout holds, it's a notable outcome: a studio that was fired, taken to court, and reinstated by a judge ends up collecting the full bonus anyway. The case is a useful reference point for any indie studio negotiating acquisition earnouts with a large publisher.