Subnautica 2 Steam page scrubbed of Krafton branding amid legal tussle

Although Subnautica 2 is scheduled for a May debut on Steam Early Access, the intense legal conflict between developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment and publisher Krafton continues to escalate.

In a move recently discovered by social media users on Reddit and Bluesky, Krafton has been scrubbed from the game’s official Steam page. Unknown Worlds is now listed as the sole publisher, a change that took effect on April 7. While Polygon has reached out to Krafton for clarification, the shift appears to be a major turning point in a dispute that began last year.

Subnautica 2 goes "self-published" on Steam following dev vs. publisher drama

During 2024 summer, Krafton delayed the game's release and sparked a legal war over a $250 million payout owed to the developers. During this time, Krafton terminated Unknown Worlds' CEO and other key leaders.

In March 2026, a court intervention ruled in favor of the developers. A judge ordered Krafton to "reinstate Ted Gill as CEO of Unknown Worlds" and strictly forbade the publisher from interfering with Gill's "authority over the early access launch of Subnautica 2."

Despite the court order, Krafton reportedly moved to undermine Gill’s leadership almost immediately, leading to the current situation where the developer appears to have seized control of the game's publishing rights on Steam.

This administrative change suggests that the battle for the future of the franchise is reaching a breaking point just weeks before the game is set to go live.

That same week, Krafton announced that Subnautica 2 would release in May. Gill wrote to the judge saying, "Krafton self-servingly announced the launch without any regard to its impact on the game, the team, or the community — let alone this Court’s Opinion."

The May release window leaves Gill in a tricky spot. "Gill must deal with publishing agreements, launch advertising planning, and other back-end issues. He now needs to do so with the axe of fan disappointment hanging over his head if he changes the launch timing," his legal team's motion stated.

Because Krafton remains the parent company of Unknown Worlds, it is currently unclear what the removal of their publishing credit specifically implies. This disappearance from the game's Steam page could simply be a public relations maneuver intended to distance the corporate brand from the project. Or it may foreshadow a major upcoming announcement, indicating that the complex legal struggle behind the scenes is still evolving toward an unresolved or unexpected conclusion.

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