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Tag: Subnautica

  • Subnautica publisher transforms into ‘AI first’ company and introduces voluntary resignation policy

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    South Korean games publisher Krafton recently announced its , which typically means that human jobs are about to go on the chopping block. To that end, the company is now trying to slash its workforce by offering voluntary resignations, .

    Krafton is a giant company with tentacles in numerous development studios, including the folks that make PUBG and Subnautica. The organization says this isn’t a plan to lay off its human workforce, but will “support members in proactively designing their growth direction and embarking on new challenges both inside and outside the company amid the era of AI transformation.” Yep. Those are certainly words.

    The company also says it will “support members in autonomously deciding whether to continue the direction of change internally or expand externally.” That’s corporate speak for “my way or the highway.”

    CFO Bae Dong-geun said during a recent earnings call that “individual productivity must increase at the company-wide level.” Oh yeah. It’s worth noting that Krafton . It looks like these profits will not be going to the staff, but rather will be funnelled into large-scale investments in AI. It’s a tale as old as time, .

    The company plans to “automate work centered on agentic AI” including the development of an “AI-centered management system.” It’s freezing all hiring except for those “developing original intellectual property and AI-related personnel.”

    Agentic AI systems have, so far, proven to be underwhelming when tasked with taking the reins. A recent MIT study noted that . Another study predicts that 40 percent of agentic AI projects will be . In other words, good luck in your forthcoming endeavors, Krafton. .

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    Lawrence Bonk

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  • The complicated Subnautica 2 lawsuit just took a bizarre twist

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    Unlike the joy of exploring the underwater world in Subnautica, diving deeper into the Subnautica 2 lawsuit is the furthest thing from rewarding. The latest update in the convoluted lawsuit between Subnautica‘s developer, Unknown Worlds, and its parent company, Krafton, represents a complete 180 with one of the case’s key claims. According to a PC Gamer report, Krafton said that “documents relating to the readiness of the game were irrelevant to the termination” of Unknown Worlds’ leadership, which was one of the main disagreements that led to the legal action in the first place.

    As a quick recap, Subnautica 2‘s developers felt the game was ready for early access, while Krafton claimed otherwise and instead delayed it to 2026. The lawsuit hinged on this major dispute and included many crucial elements, like a $250 million performance bonus and the leadership team being fired and replaced. This change of heart from Krafton has left Fortis Advisors, who represent the founders of Unknown Worlds, confused and called this “a seismic shift in the case,” according to PC Gamer.

    Krafton reps didn’t offer clear reasoning as to why they’re not pursuing this argument anymore, but instead want to focus on making the case that Unknown Worlds’ leadership “abandoned their post” and “deceived” Krafton, according to the report. To further complicate things, Fortis claimed that Krafton isn’t cooperating with providing evidence for the lawsuit. As the case moves through the discovery phase, where both sides try to obtain evidence from the other, it’s obvious that thalassophiles will have to wait a little longer for the hotly anticipated sequel.

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    Jackson Chen

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  • Subnautica 2 Devs Quickly Clarify That, No, It’s Not A Live-Service Thing

    Subnautica 2 Devs Quickly Clarify That, No, It’s Not A Live-Service Thing

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    Video game publisher Krafton released a report that seemed to imply underwater survival sim Subnautica 2 would be a multiplayer-focused live-service game, which disappointed and frustrated many fans. But now the devs have quickly clarified that no, this isn’t the case and instead the game is going to just receive regular updates during early access, like the original Subnautica.

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    Over the last year or so “live service” has become a nasty term, one which gamers seem more and more disgusted by, even if it seems a lot of studios and publishers are betting the farm on these so-called “forever” games being the future. So it’s not surprising that some people panicked when it appeared that Subnautica 2—a sequel to the popular, single-player story-driven underwater survival game from 2018—looked to be another live-service thing.

    As reported by IGN, a February 8 financial report from Krafton caught the attention of folks when it mentioned that the upcoming Subnautica 2 was being designed using the “Games as a Service” model. Folks quickly assumed the worst: that this was a live-service game that would feature battle passes and seasons and all that stuff. It didn’t help that the report also claimed the sequel was going to be multiplayer-focused, a big departure from the first game. Quickly, people got out their pitchforks and began yelling that yet another franchise was being ruined by live-service shenanigans. But thankfully for those concerned players, that’s not the case.

    Subnautica 2 devs set the record straight

    Shortly after the report went public and news spread of Subnautica 2 being a live-service game, the developers—Unknown Worlds—stepped in and clarified in a blog post that it isn’t that kind of game.

    “In reference to ‘Games-as-a-Service,’ we simply plan to continually update the game for many years to come, just like the previous two Subnautica games,” explained the devs. “Think our Early Access update model, expanded. No season passes. No battle passes. No subscription.”

    The studio also claimed the game isn’t “multiplayer-focused.” Instead, co-op is “optional” and folks will be able to experience the full game by themselves.

    Finally, the devs also explained that Subnautica 2’s early access launch isn’t planned for 2024 and that they will share more info “later this year.”

    “Thanks for keeping an eye out for any news about our progress on the next game,” the devs added. “We’re so excited to show you what we’ve been working on and hope that you love it as much as we do.”

    While it might seem like a lot of folks overreacted, the reality is that with reports of so many live-service games in development and after so many have failed to stick around or turn out well, a lot of gamers are jumpy about games-as-a-service and live-service “forever” games.

    I expect—in an effort to avoid these situations—we will see some studios try to come up with a new term for games that just get occasional updates and patches, but which have no other “live” elements, like battle passes or seasons. For now, you can all relax. Subnautica 2 isn’t going to be a live-service thing like Suicide Squad.

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    Zack Zwiezen

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