Krafton Agrees to Pay Bonuses to Entire Staff of Subnautica 2 Dev Unknown Worlds - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 01 July 2026 / 1,461 Views
After reaching a legal settlement, publisher Krafton has agreed to pay bonuses to the entire staff of Subnautica 2 developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment.
Unknown Worlds CEO Ted Gill has told Bloomberg he is stepping down as part of the settlement. He was first fired in summer 2025 following a dispute over a $250 million incentive bonus and the two companies become entangled in litigation that saw a judge force publisher rehire Gill as CEO in March.
"We mutually agreed to part ways," Gill said. "New leadership is the best way for the studio to move forward."
Gill revealed the developers for Subnautica 2 will be "compensated significantly more" than was called for under the original acquisition agreement and will receive "further incentives" as the game continues to be updated and supported.
The original bonus agreement was structured to compensate the top three executives at Unknown Worlds and any employees that were at the studio during the 2021 acquisition. The new agreement sees everyone at the studio getting a payout.
"We’re all super excited about Subnautica 2 and its tremendous success," said Gill.
Subnautica 2 released in Early Access for the Xbox Series X|S, PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and Microsoft Store, and Xbox Game Pass on May 14. It has gone on to sell over four million units.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can follow the author on Bluesky.
