KRAFTON Will Indeed Pay the Creators of Subnautica 2 $250 Million

The South Korean publisher KRAFTON has committed to paying a $250 million performance bonus to the studio Unknown Worlds, following the successful early access launch of Subnautica 2. This payment fulfills a contractual obligation established during KRAFTON’s 2021 acquisition of the developer, which included a total earn-out provision of $750 million. The initial $500 million was provided upfront, while the remaining $250 million was contingent upon the studio achieving specific performance benchmarks tied to the release of their latest title.

The financial resolution follows a period of significant corporate friction. In 2025, KRAFTON terminated three executives at Unknown Worlds, an action the studio alleged was a strategic maneuver to delay the launch of Subnautica 2 and circumvent the bonus payout. A subsequent legal ruling favored the developers, resulting in a court order that mandated the reinstatement of the studio’s CEO and an extension of the deadline for meeting the performance criteria.

The decision to release the funds is driven by the strong commercial performance of Subnautica 2, which entered early access on May 14, 2026. Within its first five days of availability, the title sold over 4 million units, generating an estimated $100 million in gross revenue. While neither KRAFTON nor Unknown Worlds has issued an official statement regarding the payment, the move signals the conclusion of a contentious chapter between the parent company and its subsidiary.