Subnautica 2 Is Reportedly Earning That Controversial $250 Bonus

Krafton purchased Unknown Worlds and promised its founders a large bonus tied to record monthly revenue. The payout structure required paying $3.12 per $1 of revenue once monthly revenue exceeded $70 million, with a first-month payout potentially reaching $218 million and a total cap at $250 million. A lawsuit arose over Krafton attempting to avoid the obligation, and Krafton lost. New reporting indicates Krafton is now on track to pay the bonus, which could equal about 35% of its 2025 operating profit. Subnautica 2 sold about 4 million copies on Steam since May 14, implying roughly $85 million in potential revenue for the month after platform fees, plus additional sales on Xbox and Game Pass.

"Krafton agreed to pay $3.12 to Unknown Worlds cofounders for every $1 of revenue every time the studio's revenue topped $70 million in a single month. That would trigger a $218 million payout for the first month, with the total bonus capped at $250 million. According to a new report by the Korean Economic Daily (via ), Krafton is on track to have to pay that out, which would amount to 35 percent of its 2025 operating profit."

"Subnautica 2 has already sold 4 million copies since it came to Steam on May 14. At $30 a copy, subtracting Valve's 30 percent platform fee, that's around $85 million in potential revenue for this month alone. That's not including sales of the existing games, which are no doubt getting a bit of attention boost as well at the moment. Subnautica 2 is also currently available on Xbox Series X/S, where it's part of an ongoing Game Pass deal."

"There was a whole lawsuit over the publisher trying to get out of keeping that wild promise. Not only did Krafton lose that lawsuit, but it now appears to be losing on the numbers front as well, as Subnautica 2 performs like gangbusters on Steam during its first month in Early Access."

"So why did Krafton make such a dumb deal to begin with? Did the publisher simply think Unknown Worlds would never hit those outlandish monthly metrics, or was it just that desperate to lock up a U.S.-based studio and hit PC gaming IP amid the post-pandemic studio acquisition race? Remember, Unknown Worlds was purchased for an upfront price of $50 million in 2021 when investment was flooding in from China, and Sony and Microsoft were snatching up studios left and right."

Read at Kotaku