Krafton has announced plans to expand Subnautica into a full "franchise IP" after its sequel, Subnautica 2, surpassed 5 million sales within just 22 days of its early access launch. The milestone comes despite a turbulent year for developer Unknown Worlds, which saw a bitter legal dispute between Krafton and the studio's ousted leadership over bonus payments, ultimately resolved through a settlement earlier this year.

Krafton revealed the sales figure in its second-quarter 2026 financial results, noting Subnautica 2 hit 5 million units sold following its Xbox Series X/S and PC early access debut on 14th May. Across the whole Subnautica series, the publisher generated roughly £121m in revenue during the first half of its financial year. The legal battle had centred on a promised $250m staff bonus tied to revenue targets, which the previous leadership – including founder Charlie Cleveland and former CEO Ted Gill – argued Krafton's decision to delay launch into 2026 would jeopardise; a US judge ultimately sided with the ousted team, leading to a settlement extending bonus payments to all current Unknown Worlds staff.