AsSubnautica 2fans plan to boycott the game following the recent changes made to Unknown Worlds, the studio’s new CEO has responded and called it “disappointing”.
For the uninitiated, earlier in July it was reported thatSubnautica’s original creators (Ted Gill, Charlie Cleveland, and Max McGuire) had beenforced out of Unknown Worlds, with Striking Distance Studios CEO Steve Papoutsis set to take over. This week, that decision has potentially caused legal issues, citing further reports thatKrafton allegedly fired the co-founders to stop a potential $250 million bonuspayout.
The Subnautica 2 delay arrived just a few months before Krafton was due to pay the studio a $250 million bonus, which would have kicked in had Unknown Worlds managed to hit a certain revenue target by the end of 2025, as stipulated by an agreement when Krafton purchased the developer in 2021. This made fans angry enough with the studio’s decisions that some even planned to boycott the sequel, as the top thread onReddit’s r/Subnautica communityreads “DO NOT BUY SUBNAUTICA 2”. With a boycott looming, Unknown Worlds CEO Steve Papoutsis has responded.
“That’s Disappointing” Unknown Worlds CEO Responds To Potential Boycott
Despite the ongoing turbulence Subnautica 2 faces, Unknown Worlds' new CEO, Steve Papoutsis, has doubled down on Krafton’s decisions. As pointed out byGamesRadar+, Papoutsis said, “Making games is a labor of love, and people put a lot of effort into making those games. Throughout the time I’ve been involved in making games, there have always been changes. There have always been people that have come and gone, referring to the co-founders' departure, adding his initial reaction was “that’s disappointing”.
Amid the controversy, Krafton went so far as to minimise the co-founders' involvement with the sequel, saying “Charlie and Max have had minimal–to-no involvement in the development of SN2. The SN2 development team remains intact and is actively continuing its work.” Papoutsis concluded his comments by saying that Subnautica 2 is about delivering a “meaningful player experience” that respects the existing community.
Although that seems like a noble goal, all of the recent changes and drama seem to have made that community want less and less to do with the game as more comes out regarding the former co-founders' forced departure.
