{"rewrite":{"id":"r_9aa9710ab0c18899e5339261","clusterId":"c_7c9058ed7d9a6c9d4b386b2e","slug":"krafton-and-subnautica-2-developer-settle-bonus-lawsuit-ceo-ted-gill-steps-down","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Krafton and Subnautica 2 Developer Settle Bonus Lawsuit, CEO Ted Gill Steps Down","summary":"Krafton and Unknown Worlds Entertainment have fully settled their legal dispute over a $250 million bonus. Under the settlement, bonuses will be paid to all employees, and CEO Ted Gill will step down amicably. The game has sold over 4 million copies since its early access launch in May 2026.","whyItMatters":"The settlement ends a bitter corporate battle that saw a judge order Krafton to reinstate Gill after the publisher tried to avoid a performance-based payout, and it clears the path for the studio's future leadership.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe legal fight between Krafton and the studio behind Subnautica 2 is over. A full settlement has been reached in the dispute over a bonus of up to $250 million tied to the 2021 acquisition of Unknown Worlds Entertainment. Under the terms, bonuses will be paid to all studio employees, including recent hires. CEO Ted Gill will step down as part of the agreement, saying new leadership is the best way forward. A new CEO will be recruited externally.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe conflict began in summer 2025 when Krafton fired Gill and others, citing dereliction of duty and unauthorized data downloads. In March 2026, a Delaware court ruled Krafton must reinstate Gill immediately, criticizing the publisher for a takeover plan called Project X aimed at avoiding the payout. Court records showed a Krafton representative consulted ChatGPT on how to avoid payment. Gill was reinstated, and Subnautica 2 launched in early access in May 2026, selling over 4 million copies.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Krafton and Unknown Worlds Entertainment settle $250M bonus lawsuit. CEO Ted Gill steps down amicably. All employees get bonuses. Subnautica 2 has sold over 4M copies since early access launch.","twitterPost":"Krafton and Unknown Worlds Entertainment settle $250M bonus lawsuit. CEO Ted Gill steps down amicably. All employees get bonuses. Subnautica 2 sold over 4M copies since early access launch.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"The legal battle between Krafton and Subnautica 2 developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment has been fully settled. CEO Ted Gill will step down, and all employees will receive bonuses. The game has sold over 4 million copies since its early access release in May 2026.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"4Gamer.net\",\"url\":\"https://www.4gamer.net/games/848/G084886/20260702017/\",\"title\":\"KRAFTON and Subnautica 2 Developer Lawsuit Fully Settled: Bonus Paid to All Employees After Selling Over 4 Million Copies, CEO Ted Gill Steps Down Amicably\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4000,"outputTokens":630,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1782978297,"createdAt":"2026-07-02T07:36:41.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-07-02T07:39:50.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-02T07:39:50.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_7c9058ed7d9a6c9d4b386b2e","canonicalTitle":"KRAFTONと「サブノーティカ2」開発元の訴訟が全面和解。400万本を超える大ヒットで全従業員へのボーナス支給とテッド・ギルCEOの円満退任が決定","representativeArticleId":"a_35a80f51e76a2283933eed76","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Subnautica 2\"],\"studios\":[\"KRAFTON\",\"Unknown Worlds Entertainment\"],\"people\":[\"Ted Gill\"],\"type\":\"business\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-07-02T06:55:14.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-07-02T06:55:14.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-02T07:39:50.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"4Gamer.net","url":"https://www.4gamer.net/games/848/G084886/20260702017/","title":"KRAFTONと「サブノーティカ2」開発元の訴訟が全面和解。400万本を超える大ヒットで全従業員へのボーナス支給とテッド・ギルCEOの円満退任が決定"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Subnautica 2"],"studios":["KRAFTON","Unknown Worlds Entertainment"],"people":["Ted Gill"],"type":"business","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Krafton and Unknown Worlds Entertainment settled a legal dispute over a bonus of up to $250 million tied to the 2021 acquisition of the studio.","Under the settlement, bonuses will be paid to all studio employees, including recent hires, and CEO Ted Gill will step down.","The conflict began in summer 2025 when Krafton fired Gill and others, citing dereliction of duty and unauthorized data downloads.","In March 2026, a Delaware court ruled Krafton must reinstate Gill immediately, criticizing a takeover plan called Project X aimed at avoiding the payout.","Subnautica 2 launched in early access in May 2026 and has sold over 4 million copies."]}