Krafton settles with Subnautica 2 developer after drawn-out dispute over $250 million

After a lengthy legal dispute, Krafton has settled with its subsidiary Unknown Worlds Entertainment, which is developing Subnautica 2 , and will pay bonuses to the studio’s staff, Bloomberg reports . The dispute began last year after Krafton pushed out Unknown Worlds’ cofounders, Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire, and its CEO, Ted Gill, ahead of a potential $250 million bonus for hitting certain financial goals that would have been shared with the studio. After the executives sued, a judge reinstated Gill as CEO in March, and Subnautica 2 finally launched in early access in May . The game passed four million copies sold in five days . Details of the settlement haven’t been disclosed. “Krafton, Inc., Unknown Worlds Entertainment, and Ted Gill, Charlie Cleveland, and Max McGuire have reached a mutual settlement and agreed to dismiss all pending legal proceedings,” Krafton said in a statement to Game Developer . Bonuses will be paid to all Unknown Worlds staffers instead of only those who were there when Krafton acquired the studio in 2021 , and they’ll be paid out in three yearly installments, according to Bloomberg . However, Gill will be leaving the studio. “We mutually agreed to part ways,” Gill tells Bloomberg . “New leadership is the best way for the studio to move forward.” Krafton didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment from The Verge .