Subnautica 2 was planned as another major win, with co-op play, a bigger world, and improvements on the original games.
But instead of excitement, the air around the sequel is thick with controversy.
In a few days, cautious hype turned into a public backlash, and some community members began pushing for a boycott.
What Happened to Subnautica’s Founders?
This all started when Krafton removed Charlie Cleveland, Max McGuire, and Ted Gill from their leadership roles at Unknown Worlds, where they were key figures in guiding the series.
The announcement blindsided fans, especially since the game appeared nearly set for early access. They weren’t just senior leaders but also hands-on creators and original founders behind Subnautica’s early development.
Their sudden departure left a vacuum, and many in the community didn’t like the idea of a new CEO, Steve Papoutsis (known for The Callisto Protocol), stepping in without a clear explanation.
What Was the $250 Million Bonus Controversy?
Krafton later said the three had left their jobs and wouldn’t come back to development despite being asked many times.
The publisher suggested that the game's development had suffered because of their absence and that the current state of the game lacked enough content to justify an early access release.
But fans did not buy it because Cleveland had recently said that Subnautica 2 was ready to launch in early access and that the delay was not his decision.
Tension escalated when Bloomberg reported on an internal deal that promised the studio a $250 million bonus if certain revenue milestones were hit in 2025. Those milestones coincided with the schedule for Subnautica 2’s launch.
With the game pushed back to 2026, many fans suspected Krafton was purposely avoiding paying out. The firm dismissed the allegation, yet the timing made it simple for fans to come to their own conclusions.
Forums were soon filled with posts accusing Krafton of manipulating the timeline for financial gain and erasing the leadership team to secure more control.
Why Are Some Fans Calling for a Boycott?
The boycott began shortly after a post asked players to take Subnautica 2 off their wishlists, postpone pre-orders, and call for more transparency.
The core argument is that if players accept these decisions without protest, big publishers get a free pass to discard the original creators whenever it suits them.
Supporters of the boycott see it as a way to stand against corporate interference, even if the full story hasn’t been publicly confirmed. However, not everyone agrees with the boycott—or the assumptions behind it.
A big portion of fans say the protest is driven by unproven claims. There’s no public evidence that the firings were directly tied to a push for more dev time or resistance to monetization, and neither Krafton nor the ousted devs have given a complete side of the story.
In fact, Unknown Worlds has released a separate statement reassuring fans that the core development team remains untouched and that the game’s vision hasn’t changed.
It was stressed that Subnautica 2 will keep its classic approach by not having battle passes, microtransactions, or loot boxes. The game will focus on a story-focused survival experience with an optional co-op.
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