Multi Unknown Worlds (Subnautica 2) leadership removed by parent-company Krafton.

[Ben]

Subnautica studio leadership gutted by Krafton, which outright says that Subnautica 2 needs 'renewed energy and momentum'

Something stirs beneath the waves.

www.pcgamer.com

I know @Crazy Jamie at least has an appreciation of Subnautica. It's a great survival game, and one of my partners favorites.

However, after 4 years in development, the parent company of Unknown Worlds, Krafton, just removed three of the original creators. Subnautica designer and director Charlie Cleveland, CEO Ted Gill, and co-founder Max McGuire.

The reddit is full doom mode, assuming this means the game is to not going hit the mark we're all hoping for. The dev team is still in place, but the creative direction will certainly change.

Maybe my thalassophobia appreciates this news, but the rest of my brain doesn't.

 

[Crazy Jamie]

This sort of move is rarely a good sign for a game's development, albeit I wouldn't immediately go into doom mode. I'm happy to stick in wait and see mode.

The first is an excellent game. I know there are a lot of people who consider it to be an all time classic. It doesn't quite get there for me, but I entirely acknowledge why it does for some people, and it's hardly a problem when we're talking about whether a game is an all time classic or merely excellent. The biggest draw by far for this game was the co-op. Even if it's not quite as good, if the co-op is competently implemented, it may well still be worth a play. Just a matter of seeing how things shake out.

 

[Tommy Boy]

A lot of bad news for video games this week. Dang.

 

[Crazy Jamie]

A lot of bad news for video games this week. Dang.

Given that I use these forums and a weekly podcast for my gaming news, dare I ask what else I've missed?

 

[Ben]

Given that I use these forums and a weekly podcast for my gaming news, dare I ask what else I've missed?

Microsoft axed a ton of studios and so on, too.

Microsoft - Microsoft Layoffs/Studio Closures/Cancelled Games

Article Microsoft announced mass layoffs on July 2 impacting many areas of the company's sprawling business, including Xbox. Overall, Microsoft is said to be cutting 4% of its staff worldwide, affecting about 9,000 people. Microsoft is an enormous company that employs more than 200,000 people...

gwforums.com

 

[dimmerwit]

I've read they weren't actually involved in the development of Subnautica 2 though.

 

[Ben]

I've read they weren't actually involved in the development of Subnautica 2 though.

I saw on reddit messages from som mod on the discord, stating they weren't working on Subnautica 2 to begin with, but also that mod has a history of being a corporate shill.

Surely if they fired them because of Subnautica 2 taking so long, they were involved in Subnautica 2.

Lots of speculation about the new CEO, Steve Papoutsis, and how he previously took over as CEO of Striking Distance Studios during The Calisto Project, pushed the dev team to crunch it out faster, then after the studio was shut down. Plausible they do it again.