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The Latest Breaking News from Subnautica

Subnautica 2 publisher’s CEO used ChatGPT in failed bid to avoid paying US$250m bonus to own studio head, court hears

Court orders Krafton’s CEO to reinstate Unknown Worlds’ leadership after they were ousted using an AI-generated plan

The Guardian - AU

Subnautica 2 set for early access release in May as Krafton signals surrender: 'We look forward to working with Ted Gill to support a smooth transition and work toward a successful launch'

A judge ruled yesterday that Krafton improperly fired Gill in 2025, and ordered that he be restored as CEO of Unknown Worlds.

PC Gamer

A gaming CEO asked ChatGPT how to avoid paying a $250 million bonus. It didn't work

Krafton's AI-assisted scheme to oust the makers of Subnautica 2 just collapsed in court after a judge ruled the company had to reinstate the CEO and payout the bonus.

Fortune

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South Korean company following ChatGPT management advice forced to backtrack by court — Krafton improperly ousted Subnautica developer bosses to dodge $250m bonus payout

Gaming company forced to backtrack by court after AI-driven plan to dodge $250m bonus payment backfires.

Tom’s Hardware

Judge sides with Subnautica 2 founders in lawsuit against publisher Krafton over long Early Access delay, $250 million bonus — the former CEO is back, too

Eight months after it began, the legal battle between Subnautica 2's creators and its publisher Krafton has ended in victory for Unknown Worlds' leadership.

Windows Central

In a wild turn for the Subnautica 2 lawsuit, a judge orders Krafton to restore fired Unknown Worlds CEO and gives them 9 more months to earn $250 million bonus

Litigation is ongoing, but this ruling represents a major loss for Krafton.

PC Gamer

Fired Subnautica 2 CEO must be reinstated, judge rules, and "may proceed with the early access release of Subnautica 2 when he deems it appropriate"

Court order puts Ted Gill back at the helm of Steam early access for Subnautica 2

GamesRadar

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Subnautica 2 devs show off multiplayer while constantly reassuring solo players it's totally optional

"The important distinction there is that any part of the game isn't going to require cooperative play."

PC Gamer

Subnautica 2's "optional co-op" looks like exactly what I want – not the live-service mess I was afraid the survival game might become

Subnautica 2 is built for "optional co-op, start to finish," with emphasis on the "optional"

GamesRadar

Survival games are more popular than ever, but is one of the decade's most influential genres more endangered than it seems?

Opinion | The art of survival games' unique staying power

GamesRadar

Krafton CEO confirms he "actually searched on ChatGPT" for "faster answers" amid legal battle with former Subnautica 2 leads, after the publisher dubbed accusations of chatbot use "a last-ditch effort"

"...just like everyone else..."

GamesRadar

After Krafton denied its CEO consulted with ChatGPT on the Subnautica 2 mess, Krafton CEO says he consulted with ChatGPT on the Subnautica 2 mess

Changhan Kim said during testimony that he used ChatGPT "like Google Search."

PC Gamer

Subnautica 2 studio was working on a secret game code named Project Labrador before Unknown Worlds leads were fired, and ex-CEO says he still hopes "to see that game come to light"

The Subnautica movie has seemingly also been put on ice

GamesRadar

inZOI was "far, far, far less developed than Subnautica 2" around the time publisher Krafton decided to fire Unknown Worlds leads, says former CEO: "There wasn't a ton of game present"

Unknown Worlds thought Subnautica 2 would be ready for August 14, 2025

GamesRadar

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PC Gamer

Krafton CEO allegedly asked ChatGPT to help him find a way out of paying Subnautica 2 devs their bonuses because he wanted to avoid the 'professional embarrassment' of being seen as a 'pushover'

A pre-trial brief filed by former Unknown Worlds bosses says Krafton CEO Changham Kim was worried about losing his job for overpaying for the studio.

GamesRadar

Ousted Subnautica 2 founders fight Krafton over ChatGPT records as the publisher accuses them of deleting and stealing data: "'Make sure there's nothing incriminating'"

New legal filings reveal additional details about the war for Subnautica 2

GamesRadar

PUBG and Subnautica 2 publisher Krafton, now an "AI first" company, asks devs to fire themselves in voluntary resignation program if they can't roll with "the era of AI transformation"

Krafton seemingly gunning for the most hated game publisher crown

PC Gamer

Subnautica 2 devs reveal the latest horrifying Leviathan to grace the deep sea: 'It has 4 tentacles to grab, crush, swat, and terrify players'

Work continues amid the legal battle.

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PC Gamer

With Silksong in our hands, Steam's new reigning wishlist kings are both kind of basket cases: The partially-released Deadlock and lawsuit lightning rod Subnautica 2

The heart wants what it wants.

PC Gamer

The Subnautica legal dispute takes a surprise twist as Unknown Worlds—not Krafton—sues its former bosses for stealing confidential material on their way out the door

The lawsuit says the three former Unknown Worlds principals used confidential material to "harm Unknown Worlds and jeopardize the future of the Subnautica franchise."

PC Gamer

As the legal debate between Subnautica 2's publisher and former studio execs rages, the original game and its spinoff quietly receive small patches and big discounts

1.0 release adds a new class and a ship's hold's worth of balance changes.

GamesRadar

The Subnautica 2 drama intensifies as Krafton accuses former Unknown Worlds leadership of pushing to release an unfinished game and secretly downloading "massive amounts of confidential information"

Krafton says it invested $500 million "in the success of not only Subnautica 2, but also Subnautica 3, Subnautica 4, and any other future Subnautica franchise product"

PC Gamer

Krafton fires back at Unknown Worlds lawsuit, says Subnautica 2 was at risk of causing 'irreversible harm to the entire franchise' like Kerbal Space Program 2

Krafton says the former heads of Unknown Worlds were fired with cause to keep them from "permanently damaging Unknown Worlds' most valuable IP."

GamesRadar

Subnautica 2 designer isn't alarmed by people taking a break, because survival games aren't as "monogamistic" as MMOs like World of Warcraft: "I know what they're doing"

"If I see people play through all the content of Subnautica and then they leave for a little bit until we do a content patch, that doesn't alarm me"

PC Gamer

Krafton says the Subnautica 2 delay proves its milestone process is being 'rigorously managed' because it didn't just shove the game out the door even though lots of people would've bought it

Well, it's an interesting argument.

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