Subnautica 2 legal dispute continues as rehired CEO calls release news 'damaging'

The legal drama surrounding Subnautica 2 continued after a judge ordered Krafton to rehire Unknown Worlds CEO Ted Gill, who had been fired last summer. Shortly after Gill’s reinstatement, Steve Papoutsis — who had been installed as CEO when Gill was let go — circulated an internal memo announcing Subnautica 2 would enter early access in May.

Gill's lawyers wrote to the judge that the release-window announcement could be "damaging the game and sowing additional confusion among the Subnautica community." Their objection centers not on a May release itself but on how the news was presented; the judge had ordered Krafton not to obstruct Gill's "authority over the early access launch of Subnautica 2," and Papoutsis would not have had authority to send that memo.

The lawyers asked whether Krafton had "intentionally leaked" the announcement; Krafton confirmed the message was real and accurate in a statement to IGN.

subnautica 2, unknown worlds, ted gill, steve papoutsis, krafton, early access, internal memo, judge order, release window, ign