Subnautica 2 studio Unknown Worlds' CEO resigns as Krafton agrees to pay $250m bonus

Krafton has ended its legal fight with Unknown Worlds’ former leadership by agreeing to pay the disputed $250 million bonus tied to Subnautica 2’s 2025 Early Access revenue goals. The settlement also closes a messy ownership-and-control dispute that had been hanging over the studio for months, with former leaders alleging Krafton tried to dodge the payout by pushing the game’s schedule.

Ted Gill has resigned as CEO as part of the agreement. He had previously been removed from the role, then reinstated after a court order, and is now leaving on what he described as a mutual decision. Krafton is expected to appoint an external CEO to lead the studio going forward.

The practical impact for developers is straightforward: the bonus pool is now expected to be distributed across the entire Unknown Worlds team, including newer hires, in three installments. Bloomberg’s reporting indicates the final compensation will be significantly higher than the original arrangement, which makes this a rare example of a publisher-studio dispute ending with a broad team payout rather than just a leadership settlement.

For teams watching publisher relationships, this is a reminder that milestone and revenue-linked compensation can become a major leverage point when schedules slip or control changes hands. It also underlines how quickly a live project can be affected when executive authority, publishing rights, and incentive structures collide.