Subnautica 2 Publisher Krafton Blames Leads for Delay in Statement, Saying They ‘Abandoned Responsibilities’

The ongoing drama around Subnautica 2’s delay and its team’s upheaval continues, with the company Krafton issuing a lengthy public statement today accusing the studio’s leaders of having “abandoned responsibilities” on the game, alleging they focused on personal projects rather than fulfilling their contracted roles and suggesting the game’s delay is their fault.

In the published statement sent to press, which we’ve reprinted in full below, Krafton claims it made “multiple requests” to Unknown Worlds founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire to resume their responsibilities as game director and technical director respectively, but claims they both declined. “In particular, following the failure of Moonbreaker, KRAFTON asked Charlie to devote himself to the development of Subnautica 2. However, instead of participating in the game development, he chose to focus on a personal film project,” the statement reads. “KRAFTON believes that the absence of core leadership has resulted in repeated confusion in direction and significant delays in the overall project schedule.”