The plot continues to thicken around the Subnautica 2 debacle. As we’ve been covering for the last week, the release of the multiplayer survivalbox was delayed into sometime next year and saw developer Unknown Worlds’ management fired. Krafton initially suggested that decision was a result of player feedback, but then studio insiders revealed that Krafton was conveniently avoiding a $250M payout to the studio with the delay – a revelation that caused Krafton to issue a scathing statement against the fired execs and provoked a lawsuit against Krafton.

Well now there’s a new layer to the whole matter out in the public. As reported by Kotaku, the same series of internal slides we noted last week (the ones from a May 2025 milestone review) state that Subnautica 2 “[lacked] the level of polish and market impact” at the time, with Krafton suggesting that it needed at least one more zone, more creatures, and additional gameplay loops and features before being considered ready for early access. “Due to a gap between the current state and the content volume assumed during the initial launch planning, it is necessary to reassess the release timing and roadmap,” one of the slides reads.

Following the leak of these slides, Krafton put out a statement confirming their veracity:

“The document that has been circulating on social media and reported by various outlets is indeed part of an internal milestone review conducted as part of the Subnautica 2 project. Milestone reviews are conducted regularly in collaboration with Krafton’s creative studios across all projects. These reviews help assess development progress, define clear objectives, and ensure that each project aligns with Krafton’s standards in both creativity and quality.”

Without the rest of the deck and a lot more information about how well Krafton’s subsidiaries are funded and supported, it’s unclear whether the slides support Krafton’s suggestion that Unknown Worlds’ leadership was trying to rush a minimum viable product out of the door. It also doesn’t immediately address most of Krafton’s other claims – namely, that execs at the studio were absentees in the game’s development and refused to resume their roles. This also obviously doesn’t address the suggestion from Krafton that compensation for devs still working on the title is forthcoming or the details associated with that agreement. In any case, we’re likely going to see this play out further as the matter moves to the courts.