Krafton's Name Pulled From Subnautica 2 Weeks Before Launch

Less than a month before Subnautica 2 is supposed to hit Early Access, Krafton's name has vanished from the game's publisher listing on both Steam and the Xbox Store. Unknown Worlds is now credited as both developer and publisher. As first spotted by Space Warlord Baby Trading Simulator producer Mike Futter on Bluesky, the Steam change appears to have gone through around April 7, based on SteamDB's update history. Neither Krafton nor Unknown Worlds has publicly addressed the switch.

The timing here is impossible to ignore. In March, a Delaware Vice Chancellor ruled that Krafton had wrongfully fired Unknown Worlds CEO Ted Gill and two co-founders, ordering Gill's reinstatement with full operational control over the Early Access launch, including access to the game's Steam backend. The official document found that Krafton "breached the EPA by terminating the Key Employees without valid Cause and by improperly seizing operational control of Unknown Worlds." The ruling also extended the earnout payment window, the $250 million performance bonus that Krafton's CEO allegedly tried to avoid paying, a scheme the court noted he'd even consulted ChatGPT to strategize.

So is this a full breakup, or just Gill exercising his newly restored authority over the store listings? Nobody's saying. Krafton's name was added to the "Franchise" section of the Steam page at the same time it was pulled from the publisher field, so the company hasn't been scrubbed entirely. But removing a publisher's name from a game's storefront weeks before launch isn't routine admin. It reads like a relationship that's functionally over, even if the legal paperwork hasn't caught up yet. I'd be surprised if Krafton's branding appears anywhere near this game by the time it launches in May.

Phase 2 of the lawsuit, which will determine financial damages from Krafton's conduct, is still ahead. Subnautica 2 remains listed for a May Early Access release on PC and Xbox Series X|S.