Subnautica 2 Delay: Allegations of Bonus Sabotage and Woke Slop
Ah, corporate gaming. Where the graphics are real, but the loyalty is procedurally generated.
Subnautica 2 has officially been delayed until 2026. Sure, game delays happen. But this one reeks of something far fishier than the leviathans.
Reports suggest the sudden year-long pushback might just coincidentally align with a conveniently impossible-to-get-now $250 million bonus payout promised to developers. That milestone was allegedly within reach for 2025, right before Krafton tossed the studio’s founding leadership overboard.
Funny how that works, right?
From “Ready for Early Access” to “Oops, Maybe Next Year”
Let’s set the stage:
Just days before being shown the corporate door, Unknown Worlds co-founder Charlie Cleveland was confidently posting that Subnautica 2 was ready for Early Access back in July 2025.
You know, the date they’d been building toward for years? That confidence didn’t age well.
We know that the game is ready for early access release and we know you’re ready to play it. And while we thought this was going to be our decision to make, at least for now, that decision is in Krafton’s hands. And after all these years, to find that I’m no longer able to work at the company I started stings.
Then Krafton steps in, fires not just Cleveland but multiple long-standing team members, and installs a new captain at the helm. Enter Steve Papoutsis, best known for The Callisto Protocol (you might remember that one as the deep-space flop that couldn’t scare a toddler).
Soon after, the delay announcement hits. Suddenly, the game needs “more time” and a “clearer vision.”
Riiiiight…and I need a clearer explanation for why corporate decisions always smell like burnt contracts and vanished morale.
The Subnautica Bonus Heard 'Round Reddit
Here’s where things get juicy. According to gaming publications and widespread community speculation, Krafton’s acquisition deal allegedly included a performance-based payout worth up to $250 million. That money would reportedly be distributed to the dev team if they hit specific revenue or release targets by the end of 2025.
Of course, delaying the game into 2026 conveniently ensures those targets are missed. Which, by sheer coincidence, means Krafton allegedly saves itself from paying out hundreds of millions of dollars.
Image: Subnautica 2 | Steam | Krafton
Krafton has responded to these allegations, claiming that the decision to delay Subnautica 2 “was not influenced by any contractual or financial considerations” (press x to doubt), but let’s not pretend this industry is known for its sparkling track record of honoring deals and treating developers like people instead of plug-and-play labor assets.
Are they saying that they’re willing to extend their bonus offer to Unknown World’s to 2026 to match their delay?
No? Despite you saying that it’s not influenced by financial considerations, you like the idea of keeping 1/4 billion dollars to yourself??
How surprising!
If this were a movie plot, you’d roll your eyes. In gaming, it feels disturbingly familiar.
Update: Krafton released an updated response to the online backlash, seemingly attempting to pivot blame back onto the former leadership at Unknown Worlds.
In this popup that emerges upon loading the Krafton homepage, they say that they’ve “allocated approximately 90% of the up to $250 million earn-out compensation to the three former executives, with the expectations that they would demonstrate leadership and active involvement in the development on Subnautica 2.”
It goes on to say that, basically, the former executives didn’t live up to their expectations and that they’re still committed to ‘fair and equitable’ compensation for all remaining Unknown Worlds employees – however – this response (in my opinion) also leaves a lot of room for interpretation and wiggle room, legally speaking, for a lot of the key points directed towards the former executives and if there were any other stipulations attached.
Some things I would personally be curious about would be:
- The level of work needed to accomplish within the year delay.
- Whether or not they thought the extra content would be feasible within that year.
- Whether the original $250M bonus would be still available under the new terms for the executives (in here they specifically mention “fair and equitable compensation” but that’s not in the same section discussing the “up to $250M” they mentioned earlier).
- And generally the atmosphere surrounding their work.
To me, this seems like they’re trying to paint a picture of this trio of executives who basically abandoned their game, while I’m sure they would have a different interpretation of the situation.
Whether it be a potentially hostile work environment, unrealistic demands for the timeline of work over the next year, or simply finding a loophole to not pay out what was originally discussed – I have a feeling that there is more to this than meets the eye, but read the full statement below and let me know what you think in the comments.
Replacing the Creators, One Executive at a Time
Still not raising your eyebrow? Let’s connect the dots and make it really simple:
The original dev team met internal deadlines.
Founders publicly said the game was basically ready.
Krafton removed leadership and installed new management.
The game was delayed by an entire year.
The bonus window now is impossible to hit.
This all unfolded just before the major release was supposed to happen. Totally normal, nothing suspicious. Definitely not a case of a publisher putting financial gymnastics ahead of the people who actually built the game.
DEI-Driven Woke Subnautica Design Dilutes the Deep
The first Subnautica was a masterclass in immersion. It tossed you, a relatively ambiguous character, into a desolate ocean world. There were no character-centric cutscenes. No speeches. No one checking in on your lived experience.
You were alone, and it was beautiful.
Subnautica 2, on the other hand, seems absolutely determined to remind you who you are. Or more accurately, who they want you to be. From what’s been shown and discussed in the community, this sequel appears fully committed to the corporate DEI checklist.
The cast looks like it was curated by an Ubisoft marketing team that binge-watched internal training videos. And the art style? Sanitized, focus-tested, and so safe it feels like it was designed by a boardroom Karen instead of a game artist.
Image: Is Subnautica 2 Woke? | Subnautica 2 | Krafton
It’s not about diversity. It’s about the execution.
The first game didn’t shove a protagonist in your face, and that was the point. You were the character. This time, it seems like you’re just a mouthpiece for a carefully sculpted identity, surrounded by cartoonishly diverse NPCs that feel like they were assembled from a stock photo folder titled “Brand Values.”
Rather than letting players lose themselves in a haunting, immersive world, Subnautica 2 seems more interested in presenting an interactive brochure on inclusion.
That trade-off comes at the expense of what made the first Subnautica special.
Is Subnautica 2 Already Dead in the Water?
Let’s be clear. No smoking gun has been found. No leaked document or accidental email confirms a payout dodge. But when every puzzle piece fits a little too perfectly, it’s hard not to raise an eyebrow.
What could have been a solid return to one of survival gaming’s most beloved franchises now feels like a case study in how to torch community goodwill. Replace your devs, delay the game, chase a checklist, and allegedly save yourself a cool few hundred million bucks.
That’s the real story players are reading.
Maybe Subnautica 2 still surprises us. Maybe the gameplay holds up and the underwater world is worth the wait. But right now, it feels like this series has traded its soul for corporate strategy and brand alignment – and I’m just not feeling it.
I loved Subnautica, tolerated Below Zero, and I think I’m just going to pass on Subnautica 2 as a whole.
If Krafton thinks gamers are going to ignore all of this drama with smiles on our faces?
They’d better hope that literally nothing good comes out in 2026, because at this point – I’m looking for any excuse not to play Subnautica 2 next year.
This was a commentary article based on publicly available information and personal opinion. Readers are encouraged to form their own conclusions based on the sources cited.
All images, logos, and video clips used in this article are the property of their respective owners. This content is used for the purposes of commentary, criticism, and news reporting under the guidelines of Fair Use (17 U.S.C. § 107). No copyright infringement is intended. If you are the copyright holder and believe your content has been used improperly, please contact us directly.
Want More?
Want More?
About Report AFK
A place for gamers, by gamers, untarnished by corporate gaming media and their nonstop attempts to elevate bad games while denouncing any developers brave enough to stand up to them.
Site Links
Copyright 2025 ReportAFK.com
Jean M
July 11, 2025
I loved Subnautica but never even heard of Below Zero lol not sure if I’m going to try Sub2.
Ayefkay
July 12, 2025
Hey Jean, thanks for stopping by! Subnautica Below Zero was…ok. It wasn’t earth shattering, but I think it was fun for someone that just wanted to keep playing.
VANILLA IKE
July 11, 2025
I thought I was the only person that thought Subnautica 2 looks like hot DEI garbage!
Ayefkay
July 12, 2025
Lol, thanks for stopping by Ike. Definitely not the only one, but I guess we’ll have to wait until 2026 to find out how much emphasis they put on all that.