(Bloomberg) — South Korean video-game writer Krafton Inc. is delaying the discharge of the extremely anticipated survival recreation Subnautica 2, in response to folks accustomed to the corporate’s plans, simply months earlier than it was resulting from pay a $250 million bonus to the event crew.
Subnautica 2, the second-most-wished-for upcoming recreation on the PC platform Steam, was initially set to supply early entry to gamers later this 12 months. The schedule modified final week after Krafton pushed out the management of its Unknown Worlds Leisure studio, mentioned the folks, who requested to not be recognized as a result of they weren’t approved to speak to press. A consultant for Krafton didn’t reply to a request for remark.
The primary Subnautica, launched in 2018, was a smash indie hit, promoting greater than 6 million copies. Three years later, Krafton bought Unknown Worlds at an enterprise worth of $500 million and mentioned afterwards {that a} sequel was within the works.
The sequel’s delay to 2026 was towards the desires of the studio’s former management, in response to the folks. The $250 million bonus was resulting from kick in if Unknown Worlds hit sure income targets by the tip of 2025, in response to the acquisition settlement, which was reviewed by Bloomberg. By delaying Subnautica 2 into subsequent 12 months, the corporate is unlikely to hit these targets and due to this fact the workers will not be eligible for the payout, the folks mentioned.
Unknown Worlds’ management deliberate to share the extra cash with all the studio’s staff, which quantity round 100. Workers who have been on the firm on the time of the acquisition have been instructed they have been eligible for bonuses starting from a whole bunch of 1000’s of {dollars} to seven figures, the folks mentioned.
Final week, Krafton introduced that it had fired Unknown Worlds founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire, in addition to Chief Govt Officer Ted Gill. It mentioned Placing Distance Studios CEO Steve Papoutsis would take that position, overseeing the studio’s general administration and inventive path. Krafton didn’t say why it made a management change, however mentioned in a press launch that “we owe our gamers nothing lower than the absolute best recreation, as quickly as attainable.”
In a press release on social media a number of days later, Cleveland wrote that “the occasions of this week have been fairly a shock” and that Subnautica 2 was “prepared for early entry launch.”
Throughout an organization city corridor this week, Papoutsis instructed staff that Krafton didn’t imagine Subnautica 2 was able to be launched this 12 months and that the delay was so as to add extra content material to the sport. When requested whether or not Subnautica 2 was delayed so Krafton may keep away from paying the $250 million bonus, Papoutsis mentioned he was not accustomed to the specifics of the contract.
“It’s a superb query, and I might recognize persistence on this explicit subject,” Papoutsis mentioned, in response to audio of the city corridor reviewed by Bloomberg. He added that the specifics of the acquisition have been “past my present understanding in the intervening time.”
“The will of Krafton is to have the easiest model of Subnautica 2 obtainable for its early entry,” he mentioned. “Whereas sure, the software program that everyone labored on is in an amazing spot and it felt like, ‘Hey we must always launch this,’ that wasn’t the place each events aligned round.”
He added that “it’s by no means been instructed to me that we’re making this transformation particularly to impression any earnout or something like that.”
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