It seems that big changes are happening for Subnautica 2. Krafton has announced that the original creators of Subnautica have departed Unknown Worlds Entertainment: Ted Gill, Charlie Cleveland, and Max McGuire. A reason for the departure has not been announced, but Krafton noted in a press release that this is happening “effective immediately.” The company went on to say that it “sought to keep” the trio involved with Subnautica 2. In their absence, Steve Papoutsis has been announced as the new CEO of Unknown Worlds. Papoutsis originally served in the same role at Striking Distance Studios, best known for The Callisto Protocol.
Cleveland and McGuire were co-founders of Unknown Worlds, which opened its doors in 2001. The studio was acquired by Krafton in 2021. In the press release, Krafton CEO CH Kim addressed Papoutsis’ new role, while hinting at possible reasons for the change in leadership. Though it’s not said outright, the statement seems to indicate that Krafton wanted to get Subnatica 2 out quicker. Plans for an early access release were previously announced for 2025, with a day one release coming to Xbox Game Pass.
“There is nothing more important than the gamer experience. Given the anticipation around Subnautica 2, we owe our players nothing less than the best possible game, as soon as possible,” Kim said in the press release. “We are thrilled Steve is joining us in our shared commitment at KRAFTON and Unknown Worlds to deliver Subnautica 2 as a more complete and satisfying entry in the series—one that truly lives up to player expectations.”
Unsurprisingly, reception to the announcement has been largely negative among Subnautica fans. While many were excited to see Unknown Worlds continue the series, people are now worried about how things will be handled under Papoutsis. Reviews for The Callisto Protocol were largely negative following the game’s release, and there were several concerns raised about the use of crunch at Striking Distance Studios. Now there are legitimate concerns that Subnatica 2 could face a similar fate. At this time, some users on the Subnatica subreddit are holding on to the hope that development was far enough along that it couldn’t be screwed up by interference from Krafton. However, it’s clear that today’s announcement has diluted some of the excitement that surrounded the game.
It remains to be seen how Subnautica 2 will fare without some of the people that were closely involved with the original game. It’s possible that the finished game could still prove to be enjoyable, but fans can’t be blamed for having reservations. As of this writing, Ted Gill, Charlie Cleveland, and Max McGuire have not offered any kind of statement about the reasons behind their departure, or what it means for their futures in the video game industry.
How do you feel about this change for Subnautica 2? Do you think the game can still manage to find success? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
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