According to Wccftech, Krafton CEO Changham Kim allegedly asked ChatGPT whether there was a legal way to avoid paying Subnautica developer Unknown Worlds their $250 million bonus. This revelation appears in pre-trial documents from the ongoing legal dispute between Krafton and Unknown Worlds co-founders Charlie Cleveland, Ted Gill, and Max McGuire. The documents claim Kim was desperate to avoid what he called a “professional embarrassment” and feared Krafton would be seen as “a pushover” if they paid the massive bonus. The alleged internal effort to avoid payment was reportedly codenamed “Project X” and included attempts to delay Subnautica 2’s early access launch. Krafton denies all allegations and claims their focus remains on delivering the best possible game to Subnautica fans.
AI-first hypocrisy
Here’s the thing that makes this particularly ironic. Krafton just recently announced plans to transform into an “AI-first” company, positioning themselves as forward-thinking tech innovators. But now we’re seeing the CEO apparently using their flagship AI technology not for creative innovation or efficiency, but to try to weasel out of contractual obligations. It’s one thing to talk about AI revolutionizing game development—it’s another to allegedly use it as your personal legal evasion tool.
Project X details
The legal brief paints a pretty damning picture of what they’re calling “Project X”. According to the documents, this wasn’t just about asking ChatGPT for advice. They allegedly planned a coordinated campaign that included seizing control of Unknown Worlds’ website and social media channels. There was even a “Take-Over Scenario” backup plan if the co-founders didn’t agree to alter the bonus deal. Basically, it sounds like they were preparing for corporate warfare against their own studio.
Timing and motivation
What’s really interesting here is the timing element. The documents suggest Krafton was using milestone check-ins as justification to delay Subnautica 2’s launch—specifically to make Unknown Worlds miss the window to earn that $250 million bonus. And while Krafton claims the co-founders were abandoning their posts, the brief includes Slack messages showing they were aware of Cleveland’s filmmaking efforts and even considered making it part of his official role, especially with Subnautica film potential growing. So which story holds up? The court will have to decide.
Community fallout
Meanwhile, the Subnautica community is caught in the middle of this mess. Unknown Worlds published a community letter trying to reassure fans, but the Reddit discussions show players are deeply divided. Some are siding with the developers they’ve followed for years, while others are waiting for more evidence. The whole situation raises uncomfortable questions about what happens when corporate interests clash with creative teams in gaming. When the stakes are this high—we’re talking about a quarter-billion dollars—apparently even AI becomes just another weapon in the legal arsenal.
