The complicated Subnautica 2 lawsuit just took a bizarre twist

Unlike the joy of exploring the underwater world in Subnautica, diving deeper into the Subnautica 2 lawsuit is the furthest thing from rewarding. The latest update in the convoluted lawsuit between Subnautica‘s developer, Unknown Worlds, and its parent company, Krafton, represents a complete 180 with one of the case’s key claims. According to a PC Gamer report, Krafton said that “documents relating to the readiness of the game were irrelevant to the termination” of Unknown Worlds’ leadership, which was one of the main disagreements that led to the legal action in the first place.

As a quick recap, Subnautica 2‘s developers felt the game was ready for early access, while Krafton claimed otherwise and instead delayed it to 2026. The lawsuit hinged on this major dispute and included many crucial elements, like a $250 million performance bonus and the leadership team being fired and replaced. This change of heart from Krafton has left Fortis Advisors, who represent the founders of Unknown Worlds, confused and called this “a seismic shift in the case,” according to PC Gamer.

Krafton reps didn’t offer clear reasoning as to why they’re not pursuing this argument anymore, but instead want to focus on making the case that Unknown Worlds’ leadership “abandoned their post” and “deceived” Krafton, according to the report. To further complicate things, Fortis claimed that Krafton isn’t cooperating with providing evidence for the lawsuit. As the case moves through the discovery phase, where both sides try to obtain evidence from the other, it’s obvious that thalassophiles will have to wait a little longer for the hotly anticipated sequel.