Court reinstates Subnautica devs after $250M bonus battle with Krafton
A bitter legal battle over a $250 million bonus has ended with the reinstatement of Subnautica developer Unknown Worlds' founders. The dispute began after publisher Krafton refused to pay the studio despite a successful game launch. A Delaware court ruled in March 2026 that Krafton's CEO had acted unlawfully, forcing the company to reverse its decision.
The conflict started when Krafton withheld a promised $250 million bonus from Unknown Worlds after the studio's game achieved strong sales. Instead of paying, CEO Ted Gill launched an internal project to sideline the founders and avoid the payout. He even used ChatGPT to explore ways of dodging the payment—a move Krafton's own lawyers warned was legally risky and likely to fail.
Gill then made a public statement to fans justifying the decision, which was met with widespread backlash. The situation escalated when he attempted to remove the studio's founders entirely. In response, the founders took legal action, leading to a court case.
On March 16, 2026, the Delaware court ruled that Krafton had illegally fired the founders and ordered their reinstatement. The judgment also gave them control over Subnautica 2's Early Access release. Following the ruling, both sides agreed to launch the game on Xbox and PC in May 2026, finally ending months of legal uncertainty.
The court's decision forces Krafton to honour its original agreement and reinstate the studio's leadership. Subnautica 2 will now proceed with its planned Early Access release in May 2026. The case serves as a rare example of developers successfully challenging a publisher's refusal to pay contractual bonuses.
