Conflict between management Subnautica 2 developer Unknown Worlds and the game’s publisher, Crafton, have proven to be one of the most interesting developments in gaming over the past year, and recent events have led many to believe that the two companies have severed ties. Apparently not.
For those who don’t know, here’s an overview of what happened: In 2025, Crafton has pushed back Subnautica 2’s Early Access release to 2026 as well as firing founders and CEO of Unknown Realms, Ted Gill. This caused great controversyAccording to the founders, the game is ready for release Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC and Xbox Game Passand fans believed the publisher was trying to avoid having to pay a $250 million bonus depending on the underwater survival game that launched last year.
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“As you can tell with the Crafton people on this call, we’re working with them for all the promotional stuff, it’s a co-publishing thing. I think it’s just one of those things that’s happening on Steam,” MacDonald added. “He may have blown up a little bigger than intended, but you know Crafton still helps us a lot in the early going.”
According to the report, a Crafton representative was present during the interview and agreed with what Gallegos and MacDonald said.
That clears things up somewhatthough one thing I can’t help but notice is that these comments don’t actually explain why Crafton’s name was removed from the Subnautica 2 rosters. The fact that it “just happened” makes no sense, especially with Realms Unknown and Crafton closing the proceedings.
If I had to guess, I’d say that the management of Unknown Worlds didn’t want to show Crafton’s name in the game after everything that happened, although this is only speculation. I hope that concrete answers will come at some point, but it’s entirely possible that they never will.
The good news for fans is that there is Subnautica 2 finally starts Early Access on Xbox, PC and Game Pass on May 14th – just over a week away. It will be $29.99, but the full version coming out later may be more expensive.
Do you believe that the management of Unknown Realms or Crafton is right about Subnautica 2? Are you excited to finally play the game? Share your thoughts below.
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