Since the report, Krafton has released a testy statement on the Subnautica 2 ordeal. “We are deeply disappointed by the former leadership’s conduct, and above all, we feel a profound sense of betrayal by their failure to honor the trust placed in them by our fans,” a Krafton representative told Polygon.

Reports indicate that Krafton, the South Korean parent of PUBG, recently restructured the management of Subnautica 2's dev team to avoid a hefty payout.

Krafton accuses former Unknown Worlds leadership of abandoning Subnautica 2, escalating a bitter dispute over bonuses, delays, and trust.

That is the unanswered question in Jason Schreier’s latest for Bloomberg, which reveals the existence of a $250 million bonus if the game met sales targets this year — and that the ousted bosses of developer Unknown Worlds were planning to share it with staff.

It's troubling waters for Subnautica 2 developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment, as publisher Krafton goes nuclear.

Publisher Krafton has fired the lead developers of "Subnautica 2" and postponed the release – just so the team doesn't get its bonus?