Krafton CEO Allegedly Consulted ChatGPT to Avoid Paying Subnautica 2 Developer Bonuses, Legal Documents Reveal
Key Takeaways
- ▸Krafton's CEO allegedly used ChatGPT to explore ways to avoid a $191 million earnout payment to Unknown Worlds developers
- ▸The disputed ChatGPT conversations no longer exist, and the company confirmed they were not preserved as evidence
- ▸The litigation centers on the ousted Subnautica 2 creators' claims that Krafton deliberately undermined the project to avoid contractual bonus payments
Summary
According to a pre-trial brief filed by lawyers representing ousted Unknown Worlds executives, Krafton CEO Changham Kim consulted ChatGPT to find ways to avoid paying the studio's $191 million earnout bonus tied to Subnautica 2 sales targets. Kim reportedly viewed the payment as a "professional embarrassment" that would make him a "pushover" and feared overpaying for the studio, which Krafton acquired in 2021. Even ChatGPT allegedly advised that it would be "difficult to cancel the earnout," an assessment that aligned with Krafton's corporate development head Maria Park's legal opinion.
The legal filing claims Krafton did not produce the ChatGPT conversations and confirmed they no longer exist when requested. Krafton has denied all allegations, countering that the ousted executives are attempting to distract from their own evidence destruction, including instructions to delete "incriminating" ChatGPT conversations. The publisher also alleged that Kim initiated "Project X," an initiative intended to delay Subnautica 2 or force a studio takeover, claims Krafton characterized as a misrepresentation of legitimate relationship-repair efforts.
- Krafton countered by alleging the former executives destroyed their own ChatGPT records and engaged in evidence tampering
Editorial Opinion
This case highlights a troubling intersection of corporate misconduct, AI tool misuse, and business disputes. While ChatGPT itself provided legally sound advice that earnouts are difficult to cancel, the alleged effort to use AI to circumvent contractual obligations raises questions about corporate ethics and the broader responsibility of executives—even when consulting AI—to honor binding agreements with employees and partners.
