Krafton has confirmed the authenticity of a recent Subnautica 2 leak, which revealed an internal presentation assessing the game’s troubled status. The move adds to the growing drama surrounding Subnautica 2‘s development.
On July 2, Krafton announced it had removed key members of the Subnautica 2 leadership team at Unknown Worlds: game director Charlie Cleveland, co-founder Max McGuire, and studio CEO Ted Gill. The ousted executives have since lodged a lawsuit against the South Korean developer, alleging wrongful dismissal. The publisher, for its part, claimed the leadership change was prompted by a lack of progress on the game and inadequate content. Krafton also insisted that the trio were not fulfilling their leadership duties, citing that as the main reason why the project was way behind schedule.
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Subnautica 2 Studio Co-Founder Makes Statement After Being Removed
Charlie Cleveland, the former CEO of Unknown Worlds, speaks out after he and the other members of the Subnautica 2 leadership team were replaced.
In a subsequent statement, Krafton confirmed the legitimacy of a recent leak claiming to show two slides from an internal presentation assessing Subnautica 2‘s status as of May 2025. The widely circulated images emerged on the r/Subnautica_2 subreddit on July 11, revealing a sizable list of content that Unknown Worlds ended up cutting from the early access version of the survival crafting game, which contributed to the publisher’s decision to delay Subnautica 2. “The document that has been circulating on social media and reported by various outlets is indeed part of an internal milestone review conducted as part of the Subnautica 2 project,” Kratfton said in a prepared statement.
Subnautica 2 Leak Supports Krafton’s Side of the Story
The leaked presentation slides claim that between Q2 2023 and Q2 2025, Unknown Worlds removed two biomes, one Leviathan type, multiple creatures and tools, one vehicle (Trident), character customization features, the custom game mode, and six hours’ worth of story content. While many of those elements were merely delayed rather than completely cut, their omissions have scaled down the early access build significantly, “making it necessary to reassess the feasibility of the planned launch,” one of the leaked slides reads. The content of the leak appears to support Krafton’s claim that Subnautica 2 was initially intended for an early access release in 2024 but was delayed due to ongoing creative decisions to scale back its initial scope.
The document that has been circulating on social media and reported by various outlets is indeed part of an internal milestone review conducted as part of the Subnautica 2 project.
Krafton has publicly criticized the ousted co-founders for neglecting their responsibilities, alleging that Charlie Cleveland even prioritized a “personal film project” over directing the game. This purported dereliction of duty was cited by the publisher as the primary reason the project fell significantly behind schedule. Subnautica 2 has now been delayed again, with its release pushed to 2026 to ensure a baseline level of quality.
Ousted Subnautica 2 Director Rejects Krafton’s Claims
Cleveland denied the publisher’s allegations in a July 11 social media post, calling Subnautica his “life’s work” that he would “never willingly abandon.” As part of the same message, the former game director announced that he and the other co-founders of the Subnautica 2 developer are suing Krafton due to their dismissal. The post also saw Cleveland reject Krafton’s narrative that the game wasn’t ready for early access. Due to the delay and their dismissal, he and the other co-founders will miss out on around $225 million worth of revenue target bonuses, agreed back when Krafton acquired Unknown Worlds in 2021.
Subnautica 2
- Engine
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Unreal Engine 5
- Multiplayer
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Online Co-Op
- Franchise
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Subnautica
- Number of Players
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1-4
- Early Access Release
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2025
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