Unknown Worlds

4:24 Subnautica 2 is made and published by Unknown Worlds Entertainment, the studio behind the whole Subnautica series, owned by the Korean publisher Krafton since 2021 (Steam; Unknown Worlds). Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire founded it in San Francisco in 2001, out of the Half-Life modding scene, with the mod Natural Selection; its team is now fully distributed around the world, and its press releases carry an Amsterdam dateline. Its games are Natural Selection (2002), Natural Selection 2 (2012), Subnautica (2018), Subnautica: Below Zero (2021), Moonbreaker (2024) and Subnautica 2 (Early Access 2026). The founders and CEO Ted Gill were removed by Krafton in July 2025, a decision fought in a Delaware court and settled on Jul 1, 2026, after which Gill stepped down and the companies said they would hire a CEO from outside both (Engadget, Jul 1, 2026). No new CEO had been named in any source read as of Nov 4, 2026. The development team of Subnautica 2 stayed in place through it, led on the creative side by Creative Director Anthony Gallegos.

Quick facts

Sources: Unknown Worlds: About; Game Developer (press release, Unknown Worlds), Jul 9, 2026; Engadget, Jul 1, 2026; Unknown Worlds, Oct 22, 2026.

Who makes Subnautica 2?

2:09 Unknown Worlds Entertainment develops and publishes it; Steam lists the studio in both roles and Krafton, Inc. in the franchise line (Steam). After the Jul 1, 2026 settlement Krafton said "Unknown Worlds will continue leading development, with Krafton providing support for the success of the game" (Engadget). Unknown Worlds' team wrote in July 2025 that the people working on the game "day-to-day over the last few years remains completely unchanged" (Unknown Worlds, Jul 3, 2025). In the May 5, 2026 Dev Vlog before launch, Gallegos said the team had "weathered a lot" but that "it's the same team", and that buying the game supports "Unknown Worlds and all the employees who help bring this to life".

The studio's games

Source: Unknown Worlds: About. Its awards there: Golden Joystick Game of the Year and the Gamer's Choice Awards' Fan Favorite Indie Game for Subnautica (2018), a Steam Awards Outstanding Visual Style nomination for Below Zero (2021), and Digital Trends' Gamescom 2022 Game of the Show for Moonbreaker. The Subnautica games in detail are on Subnautica Games in Order.

Krafton

Krafton, the Korean company behind PUBG, bought Unknown Worlds in October 2021. The price was not announced then; the 2026 court record, as the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance summarized it, puts it at $500 million upfront plus up to $250 million in earnout payments tied to later revenue (Harvard Law School Forum, Apr 20, 2026). Krafton lists Subnautica among its main IPs and Unknown Worlds as one of its 19 studios; its first-half 2026 revenue from the Subnautica games was KRW 232.5 billion, and it says it intends to "develop Subnautica into a franchise IP" (Krafton, Jul 29, 2026). Krafton's CEO is Kim Chang-han (Inven Global, May 14, 2026).

The leadership dispute

In early July 2025 Krafton announced that CEO Ted Gill and co-founders Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire no longer led Unknown Worlds, and the planned 2025 Early Access was put off; the team's letter that week backed Steve Papoutsis as the new CEO (Unknown Worlds, Jul 3, 2025). Fortis Advisors, for the former shareholders, sued in Delaware's Court of Chancery, alleging the removal and delay were meant to avoid the earnout; Krafton countersued. On Mar 16, 2026 Vice Chancellor Lori W. Will reinstated Gill as CEO with "full operational authority" and extended the earnout period by 258 days (Harvard Law School Forum). On Jul 1, 2026 the parties announced a settlement: bonuses for all Unknown Worlds staff in three annual installments, Gill stepping down again, and a search for an outside CEO (Game Developer, Jul 1, 2026). The full account is on Krafton Lawsuit.

The Subnautica 2 team

These are the people Unknown Worlds has named in its posts about Subnautica 2:

Sources: Unknown Worlds' Dev Vlog posts (Collector Leviathan, Sep 16, 2025; Multiplayer, Feb 10, 2026; Building Bases, Mar 12, 2026; 1.1 Update Vlog, Jul 7, 2026; Beyond the Surface, Oct 22, 2026), the Waterside Q&A, Jun 11, 2025 and Game Developer, Jul 9, 2026. The patch notes of Jul 8 and Aug 19, 2026 still call Gallegos "Design Lead"; the date of his new title is not announced. The team's videos are on Dev Vlogs.

How the studio works with players

1:13 Unknown Worlds builds in Early Access, as it did with both earlier games, and takes requests through Nolt.io and an in-game feedback tool; changes from community feedback are marked with a diver emoji in its patch notes (Unknown Worlds, 1.2). It promised "No subscriptions. No loot boxes. No battle pass. No microtransactions." for Subnautica 2 (Jul 3, 2025), and on Aug 20, 2026 it gave $100,000 to The Ocean Cleanup "on behalf of our community" (Unknown Worlds). Its plans are on Roadmap and 1.0 Release. In its May 5, 2026 Dev Vlog, Gallegos said Early Access "will run for at least two years", with hotfixes, smaller balance and polish updates and larger ones adding biomes, story and progression, shaped by feedback from the in-game tools, Discord and Nolt.

Frequently asked questions

Who makes Subnautica 2? Unknown Worlds Entertainment, which develops and publishes it. The studio has been owned by Krafton since October 2021.

Who owns Unknown Worlds? Krafton, the Korean publisher of PUBG, which bought the studio in October 2021.

Who founded Unknown Worlds? Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire, in San Francisco in 2001. Krafton removed both from their roles in July 2025.

What games has Unknown Worlds made? Natural Selection, Natural Selection 2, Subnautica, Subnautica: Below Zero, Moonbreaker and Subnautica 2.

Who is the CEO of Unknown Worlds? None was named in any source read as of Nov 4, 2026. Ted Gill stepped down under the Jul 1, 2026 settlement, and Krafton and Unknown Worlds said they would hire an outside CEO.

Who is the director of Subnautica 2? Anthony Gallegos, named Creative Director in Unknown Worlds' posts since July 2026; he was the game's Design Lead before that.

Sources

• About, Unknown Worlds, undated
• Subnautica 2 - Waterside Q&A, Subnautica, Jun 3, 2025 (video)
• Subnautica 2 | Dev Vlog - Welcome Aboard, Captains, Subnautica, May 5, 2026 (video)
• Subnautica 2, Steam store page
• Subnautica 2 - Waterside Q&A, Unknown Worlds, Jun 11, 2025
• A Letter to the Subnautica Community, Unknown Worlds, Jul 3, 2025
• Dev Vlog - Creating the Collector Leviathan, Unknown Worlds, Sep 16, 2025
• Dev Vlog - Diving Together in Multiplayer, Unknown Worlds, Feb 10, 2026
• Dev Vlog - Building Bases, Unknown Worlds, Mar 12, 2026
• Update Vlog - Early Access 1.1 (Adaptive Measures), Unknown Worlds, Jul 7, 2026
• Subnautica 2 Early Access 1.2 - Buddy System Update, Unknown Worlds, Aug 19, 2026
• Healing the Ocean, Together: Subnautica 2 x The Ocean Cleanup, Unknown Worlds, Aug 20, 2026
• Beyond the Surface - Voyage to Early Access 2, Unknown Worlds, Oct 22, 2026
• How a Buyer's AI Conversations Sank Its Earnout Avoidance Strategy, Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance (Mayer Brown), Apr 20, 2026
• Messy Subnautica 2 saga ends with Unknown Worlds CEO departing again, Engadget (Kris Holt), Jul 1, 2026
• Krafton and Unknown Worlds founders settle Subnautica 2 legal dispute, Game Developer (Diego Arguello), Jul 1, 2026
• Subnautica 2 releases first Early Access update as sales surpass 5 million, Game Developer (press release, Unknown Worlds), Jul 9, 2026
• Subnautica 2 Surpasses 2 Million Units Sold Within 12 Hours of Launch, Inven Global (Seoho Yoon), May 14, 2026
• KRAFTON Announces Second Quarter 2026 Results, Game Developer (press release, Krafton), Jul 29, 2026