Krafton, the publisher and owner of PUBG: Battlegrounds and TERA, has purchased Subnautica and Natural Selection developer Unknown Worlds. The publisher says its new acquisition will remain independently operated.
What do we know about this Krafton acquisition of Unknown Worlds?
This news was announced via Krafton's official website. In a post on the site, Krafton says that Unknown Worlds will "expand [Krafton's] IP and diversify [its] portfolio", with CEO CH Kim pledging to "spare no effort" in assisting the developer with its upcoming projects. The amount for which Krafton purchased Unknown Worlds hasn't been disclosed, but the publisher has declared that its new studio will operate independently, with its corporate structure and leadership remaining unchanged.
Unknown Worlds CEO Charlie Cleveland says it expects the new partnership with Krafton to help it "bring new games to the world stage". According to Cleveland, Krafton and Unknown Worlds are "closely...aligned in the way [they] think about games and game development". It remains to be seen what the two companies will create together, but Unknown Worlds is doubtless happy to have some new investment behind it.
What's next for Unknown Worlds?
Having released Subnautica: Below Zero earlier this year, it seems Unknown Worlds is looking to the future. The announcement of the Krafton acquisition also reveals that the California-based studio is creating a brand new "genre-defining" game, which will launch in Early Access sometime next year. Unknown Worlds is remaining tight-lipped on exactly what that project is; the studio's LinkedIn page simply lists "other unannounced projects" in the pipeline.
Things are looking pretty rosy for Krafton, too. Despite original PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds creator Brendan Greene going independent earlier this year, the Krafton-owned PUBG brand remains strong, with a TV show in the works from the showrunner of the Castlevania animated series. The publisher is also currently working on Dead Space spiritual successor The Callisto Protocol alongside developer Striking Distance Studios. Apparently, that game will be set in the PUBG universe. Who knows; maybe Unknown Worlds will be working on a survival-themed spinoff next, or will have their game set in it. Maybe even the Subnautica games will be added to it retroactively. We'll bring you more as we get it.
Are you excited to find out what Unknown Worlds' next project will be? Let us know in the comments below!
