Subnautica 2 has been so successful that publisher Krafton is apparently having to pay up to $250 million as a bonus – an earnout that's been central to the ongoing lawsuit between the publisher and certain former leads at the Subnautica maker Unknown Worlds.
Per a report from The Korea Economic Daily (paywalled), games industry sources in Seoul, South Korea, have allegedly stated that with Subnautica 2 having passed four million sales, Krafton has to pay former shareholders for the high performance it's seen after acquiring Unknown Worlds in 2021 – an earnout clause that was part of its buyout of the company. This isn't the first time we've heard the concept of this, as it's been a major part of the legal drama that's been looming over the game.
To recap, after it was announced that Steve Papoutsis was becoming CEO of Unknown Worlds, replacing original Subnautica designer and director Charlie Cleveland, CEO Ted Gill, and co-founder Max McGuire last July, Subnautica 2 was delayed out of 2025. Obviously, that was disappointing in itself for fans, but Cleveland then filed a lawsuit against the company, claiming that Krafton had broken 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."
This wasn't just any delay, though, as it would apparently mean that a certain $250 million bonus (set to be paid if it hit certain revenue thresholds within 2025) would be missed. Krafton, however, claimed that the decision to delay the game was nothing to do with money.
Over the course of the legal proceedings, it was ruled that not only must Gill be reinstated as CEO of Unknown Worlds, but that the studio was to be given another nine months – specifically, until September 15, 2026 – to hit those revenue thresholds and be eligible for the $250 million payout. And now… here we are.
As The Korea Economic Daily notes, the specifics are that if Unknown Worlds's monthly revenue passes $69.8 million a month, Krafton has to pay $3.12 for every $1 of revenue, up to $250 million. It's not clear exactly how much of this bonus the company may be set to pay out – a very quick calculation of Subnautica 2's $30 price against the four million copies we know it's sold gives us a figure of $120 million, but that's obviously not an accurate reflection of profit, as it doesn't subtract any platform fees or anything similar.
Either way, though, it's still a lot, and apparently enough to net a bonus. In a statement sent to The Korea Economic Daily, a Krafton official says: "Krafton is reviewing the specific payment criteria and amount under the earnout arrangement."
