Krafton, parent company ofSubnauticadeveloper Unknown Worlds, shocked everyone with the announcement that three of the studio’s co-founders—Ted Gill, Charlie Cleveland, and Max McGuire—were departing the studio immediately.
The post went on to announce that Steve Papoutsis, previously of Striking Distance Studios (The Callisto Protocol), would be stepping into the role of chief executive officer at Unknown Worlds.
While this unexpected announcement is worrying enough, some of the rhetoric used by Krafton in the announcement has deepened concerns about the future ofSubnautica 2.
Specifically, the references to speeding up development on Subnautica 2 have worried players that Krafton is now planning to rush the game’s release, resulting in a worse experience for fans.
The post has several quotes that seem to imply a quickening of development: “prioritise development momentum”; “listening to their fan base that has been anxiously awaiting the opportunity to continue their Subnautica adventures”; “we owe our players nothing less than the best possible game, as soon as possible”; “This process is essential to delivering the right game at the right time” and so on.
Faster Does Not Equal Better
TheSubnautica subredditis currently filled with posts expressing anxiety about the future of the series following this leadership change.
“The press release basically says why,” writesDrMike0099. “Throughout it are phrases that say the new guy will develop the game much faster, it’s a persistent theme as they’re trying to sell us on the change. My guess is that they announced this before the people leaving could say that they were told to sacrifice quality for speed…”
Krafton acquired Unknown Worlds in October 2021, shortly after the release of Subnautica: Below Zero.
“Subnautica was good while it lasted,” commentsGodzillaP***yMuncher(good for them?). “I remember when Unknown Worlds said the Krafton sale wasn’t going to change anything. Good times. Hard to imagine people at the studio didn’t see this coming…”
“Don’t mean to overreact, but abruptly firing all three original creators a few months before the early access is supposed to launch is a bad sign,” writesSpecialist-Target461, captioning a post making fun of what Subnautica 2 could become under new management.
Krafton is a Korean gaming holding company, best known for PUBG, InZoi and the acquisition of Tango Gameworks following Microsoft’s shuttering of the studio.
Subnautica 2 is expected to be released in early access later this year.
