Subnautica 2 studio Unknown Worlds has seen key members of its leadership team – including Charlie Cleveland, who was game director on the original Subnautica – ‘replaced’ by owner Krafton, just months before the underwater survival sequel’s long-awaited early access release.
Krafton, which acquired Unknown Worlds in 2021, announced the leadership changes in a press release. Cleveland – who founded the studio in 2001 and has variously served as designer, programmer, team lead, chief executive office, and franchise creative director since then – is out, alongside chief executive officer Ted Gill, and special projects director Max McGuire.
Krafton did not specify a reason for the departures in its announcement, but claimed it had “sought to keep the Unknown Worlds’ co-founders and original creators of the Subnautica series involved in the game’s development”. All three have been replaced by Steve Papoutsis, who’ll oversee the Subnautica developer while maintaining his current role as CEO at Krafton’s The Callisto Protocol studio Striking Distance. “The company wishes [Cleveland, Gill, and McGuire] well on their next endeavours,” Krafton added.
There are, however, hints throughout Krafton’s statement that it wasn’t happy with Unknown Worlds’ planned timeline for the development of Subnautica 2. There are references to owing “our players nothing less than the best possible game, as soon as possible”, as well as talk of “delivering the right game at the right time” using “clearly defined metrics and targets”. New Unknown Worlds boss Papoutsis is said to “fully [support] this process”. Unknown Worlds had previously announced Subnautica 2 was – much like its highly acclaimed proginator – anticipated to remain in early access for two to three years.