Krafton acquires Unknown Worlds, developers of Subnautica

Krafton, the publisher behind PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, has acquired Unknown Worlds Entertainment, the developers behind Subnautica.

Unknown Worlds becomes the sixth studio under Krafton’s umbrella following this acquisition. The developer’s most well-known game is Subnautica, which launched on early access in 2014 and which had sold over 5 million units by January 2020. The developer has released other games such as Natural Selection 2, and  earlier this year released the follow-up to Subnautica, called Subnautica: Below Zero. Krafton apparently intends for the studio to diversify the company’s portfolio of IP.

CH Kim, Krafton’s CEO, said in a statement: “Unknown Worlds are incredibly skilled and passionate developers with an unparalleled gift for creativity and a proven track record of building successful player-driven worlds. Krafton will spare no effort in helping them. Not only do they enhance our development capabilities, but we share a goal of creating unique experiences for global audiences.”

As for what Unknown Worlds will be developing under Krafton’s auspices, neither company has yet said. In a statement to GamesBeat, Krafton says the developer is currently making “a new genre-defining game, which is slated to launch into early access in 2022.”

It’s not clear what game this is, but the developer appears to be looking to do something different than what it’s done before. Project lead David Kalina said in an interview with The Escapist that the dev was looking into new genres. Specifically, he said, “I don’t think we want to just be like a one-trick pony. There is another project at the studio, which hasn’t been announced, that’s a little bit further along as well. So that’s, you know, in a totally different space.”