Subnautica 2 is "ready" for early access says co-founder ousted from studio, but the publishers seem to disagree

It "stings" to person it taken away, helium says

One of the co-founders of Subnautica 2 workplace Unknown Worlds has made a connection astir the melodramatic reshuffle of absorption astatine the studio, saying that it "stings" to person the crippled and institution taken distant from him by publishing overlords Krafton. He besides asserts that the crippled is "ready for aboriginal access", but that Krafton whitethorn disagree. It doesn't explicitly reply immoderate of the outstanding questions astir what really happened astatine the workplace to origin the axing of 3 elder leaders past week. But it does supply immoderate clues.

For background, 3 chiefs astatine Unknown Worlds were "replaced" past week by the workplace owners Krafton, who installed a caller fig arsenic CEO of the company. Co-founders Charlie Cleveland and Max MacGuire, positive erstwhile CEO Ted Gill, were each summarily ousted from their positions. In their spot Krafton shipped successful Steve Papoutsis, a shaper who has worked connected The Callisto Protocol and the Dead Space series.

The nonstop reasons stay cloudy, but the connection of Krafton's archetypal property merchandise suggested a disatisfaction with the gait astatine which Unknown Worlds was working. Following the powerfulness shuffle, Unknown Worlds besides released a connection that asked fans to beryllium diligent portion Papoutsis recovered his feet connected the project. It didn't wide overmuch up.

Now, co-founder Charlie Cleveland has spoken astir the events successful a connection posted crossed societal media, saying that it hurts to find himself retired of the studio. He writes astatine magnitude astir the studio's history, and importantly notes that Subnautica 2 is the 2nd most-wishlisted crippled connected Steam.

"So you tin spot wherefore for Max, Ted, myself, the Unknown Worlds team, and for our community, the events of this week person been rather a shock. We cognize that the crippled is acceptable for aboriginal entree merchandise and we cognize you’re acceptable to play it. And portion we thought this was going to beryllium our determination to make, astatine slightest for now, that determination is successful Krafton’s hands. And aft each these years, to find that I’m nary longer capable to enactment astatine the institution I started stings."

The assertion that the crippled is "ready for aboriginal access" raises an eyebrow, arsenic it seems to contradict Krafton's mentation of events. In their statement, they said that the workplace nether Papoutsis would person to perpetrate to "clearly defined metrics and targets" presumably hitting the demanded prime by acceptable deadlines. "This process is indispensable to delivering the close crippled astatine the close time," they said. They didn't notation immoderate interior disagreement implicit whether the crippled was presently acceptable oregon not.

Image credit: Krafton

Altogether this suggests that the enactment of Unknown Worlds and their concern daddies astatine Krafton were astatine loggerheads implicit the prime of the aboriginal entree build, which was intended to merchandise immoderate clip successful 2025 with an aboriginal entree beingness of 2-3 years earlier hitting 1.0. Elsewhere successful the statement, Cleveland talks astir the archetypal Subnautica, and says: "There's nary mode it would've been arsenic palmy if we had waited until v1.0 earlier releasing it to the public."

This whitethorn assistance explicate wherefore Papoutsis was parachuted in. For context, Unknown Worlds are known for transparent and steady-paced improvement done aboriginal access. Papoutsis' workplace Striking Distance is known for releasing a shonky shooter severely affected by aggravated crunch.

Unfortunately, Cleveland's connection does not spell into the specifics of the falling out, beyond those assertions. So determination are apt wrinkles to the play we inactive don't know. His connection is mostly a nostalgic waltz done his vocation astatine the studio, which began arsenic a radical of modders. He does extremity with the enactment "this is not wherever the communicative ends", though doesn't specify if this means a caller task successful video games, oregon thing from his AI-assisted movie company.

Meanwhile, the merchandise docket for Subnautica 2 itself seems to beryllium nether review. "An update to our docket and much information, including the Early Access timeline, volition beryllium coming soon," said Unknown Worlds.