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.

New CEO Steve Papoutsis apparently told employees that there's no indication the delay was made "specifically to impact any earnout."

The fallout from Krafton's firing of Unknown Worlds founders and execs last week and the delay of Subnautica 2 has already been pretty wild and messy, but

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?

"This is our first gameplay reveal teaser, and includes a glimpse at some parts of Subnautica 2 that we've been holding close to our chest"