Since the report, Krafton has released a testy statement on the Subnautica 2 ordeal. “We are deeply disappointed by the former leadership’s conduct, and above all, we feel a profound sense of betrayal by their failure to honor the trust placed in them by our fans,” a Krafton representative told Polygon.

The publisher fired back at reporting that suggested it delayed Subnautica 2 to avoid paying out employee bonuses.

The founders of Subnautica 2 studio Unknown Worlds, Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire, along with former CEO Ted Gill, are filing a lawsuit against parent company Krafton amid an increasingly bitter row over a $250 million bonus.

Krafton accuses former Unknown Worlds leadership of abandoning Subnautica 2, escalating a bitter dispute over bonuses, delays, and trust.

Unknown Worlds co-founder Charlie Cleveland claims he is suing parent company Krafton amid recent developments at the studio.

The saga continues with a lawsuit now in play, adding pressure to Krafton as questions mount over Subnautica 2’s leadership and development delays.

South Korean video-game publisher Krafton Inc. is delaying the release of the highly anticipated survival game Subnautica 2 just months before it was due to pay a $250 million bonus to the development team.

The fallout from Krafton's firing of Unknown Worlds founders and execs last week and the delay of Subnautica 2 has already been pretty wild and messy, but