A settlement ends the lengthy dispute between Krafton and Unknown Worlds Entertainment over Subnautica 2, with Krafton agreeing to pay bonuses to all Unknown Worlds staff and Ted Gill exiting as CEO again.

The bonuses will be paid in three annual installments, and Gill says the development team will be compensated significantly more than originally required, with further incentives tied to the game’s future success.

Future updates for Subnautica 2 include sprint speed, a storage cache, voice chat, player trading, more Biomod slots, Blight Encounters, wrecks, pinned recipes, and enhancements to the PDA databank and player communications.

As of publication, Subnautica 2 has not announced versions for PS5 or Switch 2.

Subnautica 2 has seen strong commercial performance, selling over four million copies since its May early access launch.

During its Steam Early Access, Subnautica 2 peaked at over 467,000 concurrent players, with plans for ongoing updates toward a 1.0 launch.

The game reportedly generated about $100 million in revenue in its first week, fueling debate that Krafton tried to sabotage the project to avoid rewarding the team.

Early Access updates are planned, including a new vehicle and a region around the Collector Leviathan, with a note that predators cannot be killed in combat.

The article recalls Krafton’s 2021 acquisition of Unknown Worlds and the development history of Subnautica 2.

Despite the public legal battle, player interest remained high enough for continued updates during Early Access.

The court ruling exposed internal Krafton concerns over the earnout and potential reputational risks, and mentioned CEO Changhan Kim and an internal taskforce dubbed Project X.

There are notes of internal controversy at Krafton, including discussions of a ChatGPT-driven approach in negotiations or takeovers.