{"id":2067442,"date":"2026-07-29T11:41:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T08:41:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2067442"},"modified":"2026-07-29T11:41:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T08:41:16","slug":"krafton-pledges-to-turn-subnautica-into-franchise-ip-after-subnautica-2-surpasses-5m-sales-in-just-22-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2067442","title":{"rendered":"Krafton pledges to turn Subnautica into &#8220;franchise IP&#8221; after Subnautica 2 surpasses 5m sales in just 22 days"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">Krafton pledges to turn Subnautica into &#8220;franchise IP&#8221; after Subnautica 2 surpasses 5m sales in just 22 days<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">Big fish.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/Subnautica-2-underwater-money-rain.jpg?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Subnautica 2 - underwater money rain on key art (custom)\" loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"Subnautica-2-underwater-money-rain.jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Eurogamer\/Krafton<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Matt Wales avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/1521645425.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"180\" height=\"179\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Matt Wales avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"1521645425.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"180\" height=\"179\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/matt-wales\">Matt Wales<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      News Reporter<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-07-29T11:41:16+00:00\">July 29, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<div class=\"comments\">\n      <a class=\"comments__link comments-bubble\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/subnautica-2-franchise-ip-krafton-unknown-worlds-5m-sales?view=comments\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n          6 comments<br \/>\n      <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mypop-header-wrapper\">\n<p><button class=\"mypop-button button wide\" data-state=\"follow\" data-type=\"tag\" data-uuid=\"e3fc186d-0548-42e5-886f-00cfbdff4d3e\" data-name=\"Subnautica\" data-follow-text=\"Follow Subnautica\" data-unfollow-text=\"Following Subnautica\" data-aria-follow-text=\"Follow Subnautica\" data-aria-unfollow-text=\"Following Subnautica\" data-popup=\"true\" data-force-login=\"true\" aria-label=\"Follow Subnautica\" title=\"Follow Subnautica\"><br \/>\n  Follow Subnautica<br \/>\n<\/button>          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Following a year of acrimonious legal tussling and a settlement agreeing to pay bonuses to Unknown Worlds developers, Krafton has now pledged to turn the Subnautica series into a &#8220;franchise IP&#8221; amid confirmation <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/subnautica-2\">Subnautica 2<\/a> has surpassed 5m sales.<\/p>\n<p>Krafton shared the news as part of its second quarter 2026 financial earnings report, revealing Subnautica 2 surpassed the 5m units sold milestone just 22 days after its Xbox Series X\/S and PC early access launch on 14th May this year.<\/p>\n<p>As such, the Subnautica series &#8211; which includes the original game, its Below Zero standalone expansion, and this year&#8217;s sequel &#8211; generated 232.5 KRW revenue (approximately \u00a3121m) in the first half of Krafton&#8217;s current financial year. The publisher added it &#8220;plans to maintain stable service through full launch and develop Subnautica into a franchise IP.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"primis_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"primis_video\">\n<p><span class=\"embed_placeholder\" data-type=\"targeting\" style=\"display: none\"><br \/>\n<span class=\"message\">To see this content please enable targeting cookies.<\/span><br \/>\n<button class=\"optanon-show-settings link\"><br \/>\nManage cookie settings<\/button><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>Subnautica 2 early access trailer.<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5sU66p6w2P0\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Subnautica 2&#8217;s barnstorming early access success follows an extended legal battle between Krafton and three members of Unknown Worlds&#8217; leadership team &#8211; including studio founder and original <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/subnautica\">Subnautica<\/a> director Charlie Cleveland &#8211; which the publisher ousted last year.<\/p>\n<p>At the time of the dismissals, it was reported Cleveland, as well as Unknown Worlds&#8217; chief executive officer Ted Gill and special projects director Max McGuire, had all been &#8220;pushed out&#8221; amid Krafton&#8217;s sudden decision to shift Subnautica 2&#8217;s early access launch from its announced &#8220;2025&#8221; window into 2026. It was claimed the move &#8211; which the ousted leadership reportedly did not support &#8211; would mean the studio was unlikely to meet the revenue targets that would <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/subnautica-2-delayed-by-publisher-krafton-just-months-before-alleged-250m-payout-to-developers\">unlock a promised $250m bonus for the development team<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Soon after, Krafton and Unknown Worlds&#8217; former leadership entered into a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/subnautica-2-drama-escalates-ousted-developers-launch-legal-action-as-krafton-accuses-them-of-abandoning-project\">messy legal tussle<\/a>, which included the allegation <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/krafton-ceo-allegedly-asked-ai-to-brainstorm-ways-to-avoid-paying-earnout-bonus-to-subnautica-2-devs\">Krafton&#8217;s CEO consulted ChatGPT on ways to avoid paying the bonus central to the case<\/a>. Then, things took a dramatic turn earlier this year when a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/kraft-subnautica-2-ceo-reinstated-judge\">US judge ruled in the ousted Unknown Worlds&#8217; teams favour<\/a>. Gill was reinstated as CEO of the studio, but would later step down as part of a settlement in which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/krafton-to-pay-bonuses-to-all-subnautica-2-staffers\">Krafton agreed to pay bonuses to the entire staff of Unknown Worlds<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>When the news broke, Gill told Bloomberg the terms of the settlement meant employees at Unknown Worlds (which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/pubg-company-krafton-buys-subnautica-developer-unknown-worlds\">Krafton acquired in 2021<\/a>) would now be &#8220;compensated significantly more&#8221; than called for under the original acquisition agreement and would receive \u201cfurther incentives\u201d as Subnautica continues to be updated. Initially, the bonus would have been paid to the studio&#8217;s three former executives and all staff employed during the acquisition, but the settlement extended that to everyone currently employed at the studio.<\/p>\n<p>As for Subnautica 2 itself, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/co-op-is-definitely-the-worst-way-to-play-subnautica-2-but-as-a-big-old-sea-wuss-i-really-dont-care\">Unknown Worlds successfully delivered an enormously entertaining early access release<\/a> back in May, despite all the drama surrounding the game. And the studio has announced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/subnautica-2-adaptive-measures-stun-fish\">big plans for its underwater survival sequel<\/a> as it slowly winds towards its 1.0 launch, even if they probably won&#8217;t include fish murder.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Following a year of acrimonious legal tussling and a settlement agreeing to pay bonuses to Unknown Worlds developers, Krafton has now pledged to turn the Subnautica series into a &#8220;franchise IP&#8221; amid confirmation <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/subnautica-2\">Subnautica 2<\/a> has surpassed 5m sales.<\/p>\n<p>Krafton shared the news as part of its second quarter 2026 financial earnings report, revealing Subnautica 2 surpassed the 5m units sold milestone just 22 days after its Xbox Series X\/S and PC early access launch on 14th May this year.<\/p>\n<p>As such, the Subnautica series &#8211; which includes the original game, its Below Zero standalone expansion, and this year&#8217;s sequel &#8211; generated 232.5 KRW revenue (approximately \u00a3121m) in the first half of Krafton&#8217;s current financial year. The publisher added it &#8220;plans to maintain stable service through full launch and develop Subnautica into a franchise IP.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"primis_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"primis_video\">\n<p><span class=\"embed_placeholder\" data-type=\"targeting\" style=\"display: none\"><br \/>\n<span class=\"message\">To see this content please enable targeting cookies.<\/span><br \/>\n<button class=\"optanon-show-settings link\"><br \/>\nManage cookie settings<\/button><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>Subnautica 2 early access trailer.<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5sU66p6w2P0\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Subnautica 2&#8217;s barnstorming early access success follows an extended legal battle between Krafton and three members of Unknown Worlds&#8217; leadership team &#8211; including studio founder and original <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/subnautica\">Subnautica<\/a> director Charlie Cleveland &#8211; which the publisher ousted last year.<\/p>\n<p>At the time of the dismissals, it was reported Cleveland, as well as Unknown Worlds&#8217; chief executive officer Ted Gill and special projects director Max McGuire, had all been &#8220;pushed out&#8221; amid Krafton&#8217;s sudden decision to shift Subnautica 2&#8217;s early access launch from its announced &#8220;2025&#8221; window into 2026. It was claimed the move &#8211; which the ousted leadership reportedly did not support &#8211; would mean the studio was unlikely to meet the revenue targets that would <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/subnautica-2-delayed-by-publisher-krafton-just-months-before-alleged-250m-payout-to-developers\">unlock a promised $250m bonus for the development team<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Soon after, Krafton and Unknown Worlds&#8217; former leadership entered into a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/subnautica-2-drama-escalates-ousted-developers-launch-legal-action-as-krafton-accuses-them-of-abandoning-project\">messy legal tussle<\/a>, which included the allegation <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/krafton-ceo-allegedly-asked-ai-to-brainstorm-ways-to-avoid-paying-earnout-bonus-to-subnautica-2-devs\">Krafton&#8217;s CEO consulted ChatGPT on ways to avoid paying the bonus central to the case<\/a>. Then, things took a dramatic turn earlier this year when a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/kraft-subnautica-2-ceo-reinstated-judge\">US judge ruled in the ousted Unknown Worlds&#8217; teams favour<\/a>. Gill was reinstated as CEO of the studio, but would later step down as part of a settlement in which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/krafton-to-pay-bonuses-to-all-subnautica-2-staffers\">Krafton agreed to pay bonuses to the entire staff of Unknown Worlds<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>When the news broke, Gill told Bloomberg the terms of the settlement meant employees at Unknown Worlds (which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/pubg-company-krafton-buys-subnautica-developer-unknown-worlds\">Krafton acquired in 2021<\/a>) would now be &#8220;compensated significantly more&#8221; than called for under the original acquisition agreement and would receive \u201cfurther incentives\u201d as Subnautica continues to be updated. Initially, the bonus would have been paid to the studio&#8217;s three former executives and all staff employed during the acquisition, but the settlement extended that to everyone currently employed at the studio.<\/p>\n<p>As for Subnautica 2 itself, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/co-op-is-definitely-the-worst-way-to-play-subnautica-2-but-as-a-big-old-sea-wuss-i-really-dont-care\">Unknown Worlds successfully delivered an enormously entertaining early access release<\/a> back in May, despite all the drama surrounding the game. And the studio has announced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/subnautica-2-adaptive-measures-stun-fish\">big plans for its underwater survival sequel<\/a> as it slowly winds towards its 1.0 launch, even if they probably won&#8217;t include fish murder.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News Krafton pledges to turn Subnautica into &#8220;franchise IP&#8221; after Subnautica 2 surpasses 5m sales in just 22 days Big fish. Image credit: Eurogamer\/Krafton News by Matt Wales News Reporter Published on July 29, 2026 6 comments Follow Subnautica Following a year of acrimonious legal tussling and a settlement agreeing to pay bonuses to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-2067442","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2067442","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2067442"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2067442\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2067442"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2067442"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2067442"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}