Attorneys for the co-founders of Unknown Worlds have accused Krafton of "deliberately leaking" the release date for Subnautica 2

Attorneys for Unknown Worlds' founders, Ted Gill, Charlie Cleveland, and Max McGuire, accused Krafton of deliberately leaking a memo about the plan to debut Subnautica 2 in early access in May.

According to Game File, the announcement by former Unknown Worlds executive Steve Papoutsis came shortly after a court ruling called for Ted Gill's immediate return as CEO.

The conditions of Gill’s return included regaining oversight of the early access roll-out of Subnautica 2 and an opportunity for his team to earn a $250 million bonus.

Legal representatives for Unknown Worlds argued that Krafton dismissed the judgment, enabling Papoutsis to disclose the release timing through a leaked internal memo.

The attorneys stated in a letter to Vice Chancellor Will of the Delaware Chancery Court, "Krafton unilaterally announced the game's launch without considering its repercussions on the development team or community, and in disregard for this Court’s Decision."

The letter highlighted the significance of a game announcement, emphasizing its usual accompaniment of promotional activities and community engagement to heighten anticipation, which were ideally to be managed by Mr. Gill.

"Nevertheless, contrary to the Court’s Decision, Krafton has deprived him of that role, further complicating matters for the Subnautica community," the letter continued.

Krafton, in a separate communication, stated: "Papoutsis's announcement was a simple acknowledgment of the development team's achievements prior to the Court’s Decision, detailing that Subnautica 2 was ready for early access. It conveyed the milestone review conclusions and expressed gratitude for the team's commitment."

"Gill, in his CEO position, will independently evaluate his perspective on the state of the game and its release timeline; nothing in Papoutsis's message affects Gill's authority or decision-making capacity," Krafton added.

View the timeline of the dispute between Krafton and the former Subnautica 2 leads here.