Krafton Shakes Up Subnautica 2 Leadership

Steve Papoutsis, former CEO of Striking Distance, is joining Unknown Worlds, the developer of Subnautica 2, as its new chief executive. This move comes as part of a surprising leadership overhaul where the prior team—Ted Gill, Charlie Cleveland, and Max McGuire—have been replaced "effective immediately."

Krafton, the PUBG company that owns Unknown Worlds, did not detail the reasons behind the sudden change. However, it stated that while it "sought to keep the Subnautica series co-founders and original creators involved in development," it now "wishes them well in their future pursuits."

Krafton emphasized that Papoutsis will "focus on maintaining development momentum and delivering the best possible player experience," bringing "renewed energy" to the project. How this shift might affect the game's release schedule remains uncertain.

Cleveland and McGuire founded the 24-year-old studio, while Gill became president nearly seven years ago before advancing to CEO in August 2024. At the time of this report, all three still list Unknown Worlds as their employer on LinkedIn, suggesting the transition was abrupt and unexpected.

"Nothing matters more than the experience of our players. With the high expectations surrounding Subnautica 2, we are committed to delivering the finest game we can, as quickly as possible," said CH Kim, CEO of Krafton.

"We are excited to have Steve join us in our shared mission at Krafton and Unknown Worlds to make Subnautica 2 a more complete and satisfying chapter in the franchise—one that fully meets what fans are hoping for."

Krafton acquired Unknown Worlds in October 2021. It stated at the time that the Subnautica studio would retain its independent operational structure.

The upcoming Subnautica sequel supports up to four players, transporting them to a brand-new planet filled with unexplored environments, plant life, and creatures. A specific launch date has not been announced, but players can expect to dive in sometime in 2025 on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and via Game Pass for premium subscribers.

We praised the original Subnautica highly, giving it a 9.1 and noting: "Subnautica is a focused survival game with a compelling sci-fi narrative, but its standout achievement is its masterful underwater horror." The series' previous entry, Subnautica: Below Zero, also earned an impressive nine out of ten in its IGN review.