last summer, a highly publicized commercial dispute erupted between krafton and unknown worlds entertainment: the korean publisher accused the u.s. studio’s management of deliberately obstructing the development of “subnautica 2,” while unknown worlds insisted that the core of the controversy lay in krafton’s refusal to honor the substantial performance-based bonuses stipulated in their contract. the two parties ultimately took the matter to court, where the court ruled in favor of unknown worlds.
according to the latest report by the korea economic daily, krafton, pubg’s parent company, has failed in its attempts to evade its obligation to pay bonuses. with “subnautica 2” achieving a strong global market launch and delivering business results far exceeding expectations, krafton has been compelled to fulfill its contractual obligations and pay the developer its due share of the profits.
back in 2021, the agreement signed by both parties explicitly stated that krafton would pay incentive payments totaling up to $250 million, calculated proportionally based on unknown worlds’ monthly revenue—triggered when monthly revenue exceeded $69.8 million, representing an approximate 312% return on investment. this amount accounts for more than one-third of krafton’s projected operating profit for 2025, estimated at $736 million.
as of now, no official response has been issued by krafton, nor have korean media outlets released any further statements on this matter.
additionally, according to data from alinea analytics, “subnautica 2” surpassed $100 million in revenue within its first week of release, becoming the fastest-growing game on the steam platform over the past five months. furthermore, it reached 4 million copies sold in just five days, underscoring its extraordinary market appeal.
