The founders of Unknown Worlds, the studio behind Subnautica 2, have accused their parent company Krafton of "altering the narrative during ongoing litigation"

The original team behind Subnautica 2 from Unknown Worlds has blocked Krafton's attempt to secure a court-ordered protective measure. The team argued that Krafton altered its reasoning for dismissing the founders and taking control of the company during the legal proceedings.

According to documents from September 12 accessed by GamesIndustry.biz, the court rejected Krafton's request for a forensic inspection and its demand to compel preservation, deeming the latter unnecessary. The involved parties are expected to engage in discussions.

Details of a legal case against Krafton, Inc. by the ex-leaders of Unknown Worlds became known in July. The conflict revolves around a $250 million incentive tied to reaching revenue targets for Subnautica 2's 2025 Early Access debut. The former shareholders, represented by Fortis Advisors LLC, assert that Krafton attempted to postpone the game to avoid the payout by using coercive strategies.

Krafton claimed in its defense that the former leaders threatened to publish Subnautica 2 on their own, without involving Krafton's support or marketing resources, forcing Krafton to terminate their employment.

Furthermore, Krafton accused Max McGuire, Ted Gill, and Charlie Cleveland of downloading a large number of company files before leaving, alleging they did not return or confirm their possession of sensitive information.

The founders assert that while Krafton initially dismissed them citing a "premature release" of Subnautica 2 as the cause, Krafton later shifted its reasoning to claim it fired them for backing up files they were entitled to at the time.

The legal filing highlights that "Krafton’s sudden change in stance is problematic," stating that this new theory is weak since the file downloads were neither unauthorized nor known before their termination. Therefore, the downloads couldn't have justified their dismissal.

Lawyers for former CEO Ted Gill, co-founder and creative director Charlie Cleveland, and co-founder and CTO Max McGuire have asked the court to reject Krafton's forensic inspection request and dismiss the motion for a protective order due to these inconsistent arguments.

For further insights, explore the timeline of the legal conflict between Krafton and the former Subnautica 2 developers.