Unknown Worlds co-founder and original Subnautica director Charlie Cleveland is opening up about the unceremonious removal of the studio’s co-founders last week, calling the shakeup a “shock” despite the sequel’s Early Access readiness.

Last week, Unknown Worlds parent company Krafton announced that Cleveland, along with Unknown Worlds CEO Ted Gill and co-founder Max McGuire, are no longer with the studio and won’t be involved in the making of Subnautica 2 going forward. The sequel is still due to launch into Early Access this year.

Meanwhile, Steve Papoutsis, who heads up The Callisto Protocol studio Striking Distance, has been named CEO of Unknown Worlds.

The move sent shockwaves throughout the Subnautica community, and several days later, we still don’t have an official explanation for the departures. The studio has formally addressed the situation, insisting the sequel “will remain a single-player first experience” free of subscriptions, loot boxes, battle passes, and all of that junk, but still, there’s a noteworthy lack of transparency about what actually went down behind the scenes.

But over the weekend, Cleveland shared his personal history of Subnautica’s creation, the formation of Unknown Worlds, and his feelings in the wake of what increasingly sounds like several forced removals from the studio and project.

“We know (and love) that the expectations for this sequel are high. But the team has poured their hearts into the game and their dedication really shows,” said Cleveland. “We helped pioneer early access and our community seems to love it just as much as we do. It’s the best way to develop a game like this.

“So you can see why for Max, Ted, myself, the Unknown Worlds team, and for our community, the events of this week have been quite a shock. We know that the game is ready for early access release and we know you’re ready to play it. And while we thought this was going to be our decision to make, at least for now, that decision is in Krafton’s hands. And after all these years, to find that I’m no longer able to work at the company I started stings.”

Krafton bought Unknown Worlds back in October 2021, putting the Subnautica devs under the same umbrella as PUBG Studios, Striking Distance, and inZOI Studio.

“I want you to know that whatever happens to the founders, to the team and to the game, our priority is, and has always been, to make the best damned game we can for the best community in the world,” he said. “With your Gorge plushies and your hand-drawn fish fan-art, and yes, your hard-earned dollars, you’ve supported us in every way, in every season, cold and warm, since Half-Life modding was even a thing.”

I don’t want to infer too much from someone who’s now seemingly uninvolved from Subnautica 2’s development, but it’s interesting to me that Cleveland uses the present tense “is” when explaining the Unknown Worlds’ founders’ priorities. Again, I’m not sure there’s any significance to be extracted there, but it’s clear Cleveland is still intimately invested in the sequel’s vision.

While he didn’t provide the answers Subnautica fans are looking for, Cleveland ended his message to fans on a somewhat cryptic note

“And I also want you to know that this is not where the story ends.”

In the meantime, here are some games like Subnautica to dive into.