Subnautica 2 Publisher Extends Bonus Period for Devs to $25M

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Subnautica 2 has recently found itself in the middle of a surprising scandal. After Krafton removed Unknown Worlds’ leadership team—Ted Gill, Charlie Cleveland, and Max McGuire—a public dispute has unfolded, leaving the moral high ground unclear.

This situation is mostly unrelated to the new developers working on Subnautica 2, who are likely feeling the impact of the game’s delay to 2026. One major point of discussion around this delay was a bonus of $25 million that would be awarded if Unknown Worlds met revenue goals for 2025. The delay led many to speculate that the developers might miss out on significant bonus earnings.

Subnautica 2 Publisher Has Extended Developers’ $25 Million Bonus Period

This delay fueled discontent against Krafton, especially since the publisher stated it would “provide the rewards [the developers] were promised.” Fortunately, Krafton has now reportedly extended the original bonus period by a full year, offering some relief to the developers.

According to Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier, who originally revealed the departure of the former leadership team, Krafton is also advancing part of the expected 2026 profit-sharing bonus to all employees at Unknown Worlds this year. This bonus is separate from the revenue achievement bonus, likely intended to compensate for this year’s income loss.

While this doesn’t justify Krafton’s decision to dismiss the previous leadership, it suggests that the company currently cares about the interests of the Subnautica 2 developers. The situation may evolve as Krafton and Cleveland face each other in court, but this move should generate some goodwill among Subnautica fans.