The legal battle between Krafton and former Subnautica 2 developers has taken another sharp turn. This weekend, a pair of internal review slides surfaced online, appearing to paint a grim picture of Subnautica 2’s current state of development. In an unusual move, Krafton has publicly confirmed the authenticity of the leaked material.
“Given these circumstances, Krafton has determined that transparent communication is necessary and has chosen to confirm the authenticity of the document,” the company said in a statement to Eurogamer. The publisher emphasized that “minimising speculation and ensuring accurate communication with players must take precedence.”
The leak, originally posted on Reddit, shows images of a May 2025 milestone review—likely photographed from a PC monitor—outlining where Krafton believes development on the underwater survival game stands versus where it should be. The document criticizes Subnautica 2 for lacking “the freshness and volume expected of a sequel,” and warns that the game “falls short of meeting the high expectations of the OWSC and the Asian market.”
The internal review recommends that the game should not release until it’s in “an MVP-level build that allows players to experience the core loop at a high level of quality.” Despite containing a “variety of content,” the document asserts that the current build “lacks the level of polish and market impact required to drive IP growth and expansion.”
“Compared to the originally planned EA launch specifications,” it continues, “the current target content volume has been reduced or adjusted across various elements such as biomes, creatures, equipment/progression, and features.”
While the origin of the leak remains unclear, its timing is notable. Just last week, Krafton announced a delay of Subnautica 2 to 2026—an announcement that came shortly after ousting Unknown Worlds’ leadership team, including co-founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire. The timing of the delay also raised eyebrows due to a now-revealed $250 million bonus clause tied to the game’s performance by the end of 2025.
Cleveland has since gone public with his objections, stating that the team believed the game was ready for early access release and that he was blindsided by the leadership shake-up. The former executives have since filed a lawsuit against Krafton, arguing that the delay was a calculated move to avoid triggering the bonus payout.
Krafton, for its part, has maintained that the delay was “unrelated to any contractual or financial considerations,” and instead attributed it to “feedback from playtests.” Their statement reiterated that milestone reviews are a normal part of internal development processes across all projects.
What remains unclear is who authored the leaked document or who it was originally intended for. The version posted online lacks any identifying metadata or attribution. That hasn’t stopped speculation that its release may serve Krafton’s interests by supporting their narrative around the game’s delay.
As for the former leadership, there’s been no formal response to Krafton’s latest statement. But in comments made shortly after the lawsuit was filed, Cleveland noted, “Suing a multi-billion dollar company in a painful, public and possibly protracted way was certainly not on my bucket list. But this needs to be made right.”
You can catch up on our coverage of the lawsuit here.
