Subnautica 2 was taking too long to release, so Krafton replaced the studio's CEO

South Korean games publisher Krafton has made a drastic move to oust key members of Subnautica 2's dev team.

Subnautica 2 has been in development for four years and still hasn't released into early access. Krafton, the parent company responsible for the game, responded by replacing key management positions at Subnautica 2 developer Unknown Worlds.

The studio departures are at the highest level, with CEO Ted Gill, co-founder Max McGuire, and Subnautica 2 game director Charlie Cleveland all leaving Unknown Worlds. Krafton has tapped Steve Papoutsis to serve as the new CEO of the Subnautica dev team at Unknown Worlds--Papoutsis previously worked with Callisto Protocol developer Striking Distance Studios.

"Papoutsis replaces the previous leadership team-Ted Gill, Charlie Cleveland, and Max McGuire-effective immediately. While KRAFTON sought to keep the Unknown Worlds' co-founders and original creators of the Subnautica series involved in the game's development, the company wishes them well on their next endeavors," Krafton wrote in its press release.

Yesterday, Unknown Worlds also posted a letter to the Subnautica community that promised the game wouldn't suddenly morph into a live service endeavor with microtransactions or battle passes.

The studio says that the original Subnautica 2 dev team is intact and that work is still well underway on the project.

When it comes to Subnautica 2, the team that has been working on the game day-to-day over the last few years remains completely unchanged. That team includes veterans of the Subnautica series, dating back to the earliest days of the original Subnautica, to the many incredible and talented developers who came aboard to help us bring our vision for Subnautica 2 to life.

The world and experience we've been crafting is something that we're all extremely proud of. From the story we're hoping to tell, to every creature (big and small), down to the tiniest rock. We want to reassure you that KRAFTON feels strongly about supporting that vision at the studio, as we continue to navigate the game toward Early Access.

One final thing we want to address, as we've seen some additional concerns about it: Nothing has changed with how the game is structured.

It will remain a single-player first experience, with optional co-operative multiplayer. No subscriptions. No loot boxes. No battle pass. No microtransactions.