Media: KRAFTON has extended the deadline for the creators of Subnautica 2 to achieve the targets required for their bonus payouts
Journalist Jason Schreier has discovered that employees of Unknown Worlds will still have a chance to receive million-dollar bonuses from KRAFTON. According to his sources, the company has extended the deadline for achieving the necessary goals to the end of 2026.
Subnautica 2
Initially, the studio had only until the end of 2025. This deadline was part of the terms of the deal in which KRAFTON acquired Unknown Worlds in 2021. As Schreier reports, four years ago KRAFTON agreed to pay up to $750 million for the creators of Subnautica 2 — $500 million of it was paid upfront, and an additional $250 million was promised if the studio managed to meet certain benchmarks.
It was anticipated that the release of Subnautica 2 would allow developers to report back to KRAFTON. However, after the game was postponed to 2026, there was understandable concern within Unknown Worlds that they would not see the promised money.
Nevertheless, Schreier writes, KRAFTON has decided not only to give the studio more time but also to advance part of another bonus scheduled for 2026, to be paid this year.
Notably, 90% of the $250 million was supposed to go to three recently dismissed executives of Unknown Worlds. The remaining 10% was intended for the other employees. However, the executives claim they would have shared the money with the team — they are currently suing KRAFTON over their dismissal.