A pre-trial brief in the ongoing legal fight between Krafton and Unknown Worlds has dropped a wild allegation. According to the filing, Krafton’s CEO turned to ChatGPT for advice on how to avoid paying contractually obligated bonuses to the Subnautica 2 development team.
The brief alleges the CEO was motivated by concerns about “professional embarrassment” and not wanting to appear like a “pushover.” When Unknown Worlds’ legal team requested the ChatGPT conversation logs during discovery, Krafton reportedly said they “no longer exist.”
The filing references internal communications and describes separate messages where Krafton allegedly explored ways to reduce the payout amount and even considered taking over the studio entirely to avoid making full payments.
This dispute stems from Krafton’s 2021 acquisition of Unknown Worlds. The Korean publisher behind PUBG bought the studio behind Subnautica, and the deal included earn-out payments tied to Subnautica 2 development milestones.
These performance-based payments are standard in gaming acquisitions. Studios hit certain targets, they get bonus money. But disputes over whether milestones were actually met happen all the time.
The missing ChatGPT logs could become a serious issue. If documents existed and were deleted after a legal duty to preserve them kicked in, courts can impose sanctions or draw negative conclusions about what they contained.
It’s worth noting these are allegations made in Unknown Worlds’ pre-trial briefing. They haven’t been proven in court, and Krafton’s full response to these specific claims isn’t publicly available yet. The cited exhibits and communications are referenced but not all are publicly accessible.
The case involves more than just the ChatGPT chat. The broader litigation covers milestone payments, management control issues, and performance obligations under the acquisition agreement.
What this means for Subnautica 2
The outcome could directly impact Subnautica 2‘s development timeline and early access plans. Unknown Worlds has acknowledged a new Subnautica entry is in the works, though specific release dates and features have shifted during development.
The litigation comes as Krafton has been tightening its belt across its portfolio since 2022. The company has pursued cost realignments consistent with broader industry trends. Meanwhile, Unknown Worlds has historically run long early access periods for its games, with features evolving significantly post-launch.
