Lawyers for Unknown Worlds co-founders Ted Gill, Charlie Cleveland, and Max McGuire accused Krafton of “intentionally leaking” a memo about aiming to launch Subnautica 2 in early access in May.
As Game File reports, former Unknown Worlds Steve Papoutsis announced the date one day after a judgment demanded the immediate reinstatement of ousted CEO Ted Gill.
His reemployment terms included regaining control of Subnautica 2’s early access release and an extension of the conditions for him and his team to secure a $250 million bonus.
Unknown Worlds’ lawyers accused Krafton of ignoring the judgment and allowing Papoutsis to announce the release date in a leaked memo.
“Krafton self-servingly announced the launch without any regard to its impact on the game, the team, or the community – let alone this Court’s Opinion,” the lawyers wrote in a new letter to Vice Chancellor Will of the Delaware Chancery Court, who is overseeing the judgment.
“Announcing the release of a game is momentous, and it is typically accompanied by significant marketing activity, fanfare, and community coordination. And most importantly, the announcement is carefully designed to maximise excitement for the game. That entire process was supposed to be driven by Mr Gill.
“However, in defiance of the Court’s Opinion, Krafton has now taken that away, further damaging the game and sowing additional confusion among the Subnautica community.”
In a separate letter, Krafton replied: “Papoutsis’s message was simply celebrating the UW employees’ efforts toward a past event: Krafton’s pre-Opinion determination that Subnautica 2 was ready for Early Access release. There was nothing improper about conveying the results of the milestone review or thanking the development team for their dedication and talent.”
“In his role as CEO, Gill will be able to assess independently his views on the state of Subnautica 2 and the appropriate release schedule; nothing in Papoutsis’s message alters Gill’s authority or discretion.”
Read our timeline of the former Subnautica 2 leads versus Krafton here.
