Unknown Worlds files lawsuit against three of Subnautica 2 former executives
, by Thibaut
The legal troubles surrounding Subnautica 2 continue. Now, it is Unknown Worlds' turn to file a lawsuit against three of its former executives who left the company on July 1, 2025.
The lawsuit specifically targets co-founders Charlie Cleveland and Adam “Max” McGuire, as well as former CEO Ted Gill. They are accused of having “largely abandoned” their duties as technical and creative directors of Subnautica 2. The trio is even accused of downloading several hundred thousand files belonging to the company the day before they left.
Unknown Worlds accuses them more broadly of abandoning their posts, misappropriating confidential data, and rushing the game's release in order to secure a large bonus payment. It should be noted that when Krafton acquired Unknown Worlds in 2021 for $500 million, it had planned to pay an additional $250 million based on the success of the development and commercialization of Subnautica 2. Ninety percent of this bonus was to be divided between Cleveland, McGuire, and Gill. The remaining 10% was reserved for the rest of the team.
Production ultimately fell significantly behind schedule when Charlie Cleveland focused on filmmaking and Adam Max McGuire on his passion project called Moonbreaker. As for Ted Gill, he allegedly left the company unattended.
Finally, Cleveland reportedly left with 72,000 confidential files and McGuire with nearly 100,000. As for Gill, he allegedly exported the entire company email account. Unknown Worlds wants to recover this data and is seeking damages from those involved.
The three men have also filed a lawsuit against Krafton in order to be reinstated at the studio and then get the famous $250 million bonus.
Source: fr.scribd.com