Paying the Subnautica 2 team their promised bonus would be “embarrassing”, Krafton’s CEO allegedly told the game’s chief over lunch

Naut ideal

Image credit:Krafton

The dramatic dismissal of three senior developers at Subnautica 2 studio Unknown Worlds gets messier by the day. In a publicly filed lawsuit, the three fired heads of the studio have accused publishers Krafton of all sorts of dirty tactics, ploys, and shenanigans to purposefully delay the game until 2026, all in an intentional effort to avoid paying a maximum $250 million earnout bonus to the studio.

In one bizarre episode alleged in the lawsuit, Unknown Worlds co-founder Charlie Cleveland went to lunch with Krafton CEO, Kim Chang-han, who told him via translator that having to pay such an earnout would be “disastrous financially and hugely embarrassing” for the publisher.

“On May 20, 2025, Cleveland joined Kim (Krafton’s CEO) and some colleagues for lunch,” a section of the lawsuit reads. “Kim said that if Unknown Worlds released the game on its planned timeline (meaning Krafton would have to pay the earnout), it could be disastrous financially and hugely embarrassing for Krafton.

“Krafton later asserted that Kim never made those statements,” the lawsuit continues. “Instead, Krafton claimed Kim’s words had been incorrectly interpreted by the translators…” We have asked Krafton to clarify what Kim really said, if that is the case, but judging by all our other ignored questions I doubt we’ll get a satisfactory answer.

Image credit:Krafton

The lunch took place at the height of an incredibly tense standoff between studio and publisher, just weeks before Cleveland was sacked along with fellow co-founder Max MacGuire and CEO Ted Gill.

Krafton accused the trio of abandoning their duties on the game , giving this as the reason for their dismissal. But the lawsuit filed by Cleveland and co alleges that the publisher really shitcanned them to avoid paying the substantial earnout.

To give you some background, this bonus would only be gained if Unknown Worlds hit certain targets by the end of 2025. Most of it would have been paid to the three men, with 10% set aside for 40 other employees at the studio. “Beyond this guarantee,” the lawsuit says, “the Founders planned to share even more of the earnout with their dedicated team”.

With that much money on the line, a disagreement emerged between the leadership trio at Unknown Worlds, and the suits at Krafton. Cleveland and co wanted the game released - it would earn the studio (and themselves) that chunky bonus. Krafton wanted the game delayed - it would save them millions of dollars and (according to Cleveland at least) some embarrassment. From this point on, the trio allege, Krafton engaged in “desperate efforts” to delay the game and therefore avoid paying the earnout.

Image credit:Krafton

“Krafton engaged in a months-long campaign to delay Subnautica 2’s release,” says the legal doc, posted on social media by Cleveland and reported by Aftermath . “It pulled key marketing materials, refused to follow through with crucial partnerships, and reneged on long-standing commitments to handle important pre-launch tasks. Multiple Krafton employees themselves suggested that these moves were for the purpose of frustrating the earnout, despite the earnout agreement’s prohibition on taking actions for that purpose.”

The lawsuit accuses Krafton of turning to all sorts of dirty tactics in an attempt to frustrate the game’s impending release in that unspecified month of 2025. For example, Krafton allegedly:

• Assigned an entirely new publishing team to the game, headed by an employee who didn’t speak English. That team “delayed decisions and delivered incomplete work”
• Issued an “internal stop work order” and “told all Krafton teams to stop all creative tasks related to Subnautica 2”
• Ordered all US employees of Krafton previously in touch with Unknown Worlds to stop communicating with the studio
• Cancelled work on trailers, advertising, and even a front page plan for PC Gamer magazine.
• Cancelled localisation plans to translate the game to nine languages
• Neglected to write up the terms of service agreements necessary for the game
• Held a milestone meeting in May, and demanded that the game be delayed (this is possibly the meeting in which this “leaked” document was shown)

In another wild story, the lawsuit says that Krafton’s own US-based team in El Segundo, California, warned one of the three ill-fated managers about Krafton’s plans, saying the publisher had people “combing” through agreements looking for a loophole which would allow them to fire the three key managers.

“Upon their return [from a business trip to Korea], the El Segundo team—Krafton employees—reported to [Ted] Gill that Krafton’s leadership was not focused on a successful launch, but instead on how it could convince Unknown Worlds to delay the game.

“The El Segundo colleagues informed Gill that Krafton’s legal team was combing through the agreements looking for any opening to terminate the Founders if they proceeded with the planned release. The El Segundo colleagues told Gill it was clear that Krafton was aiming to avoid paying the earnout.”

Image credit:Krafton

As these obstruction efforts intensified, the trio allege that publishing chiefs at Krafton met with them and offered a lower earnout. But the trio declined, claiming the amount was not “anything close to what they deserved, and did not allow them to share the earnout with the full team.”

Soon after, the three men received letters telling them they were fired. Steve Papoutsis, who was installed by Krafton to replace the three chiefs, allegedly said they were fired for their “intention to proceed with a premature release of Subnautica 2.”

“The letters make clear that the Founders were terminated without cause,” says the lawsuit, and this will likely be a key contention if the case does go to court without a settlement. Krafton have already said they terminated the three developers because those men were absent in their duties. Cleveland, for example, was accused of spending more time working on his nascent movie company than working on the subaquatic sequel. Although the trio are making counterarguments to this too.

In the lawsuit Cleveland suggests that Krafton’s own CEO Kim Chang-han (the same man who would later allegedly talk of “embarrassing” circumstances over lunch) personally encouraged Cleveland to “develop Subnautica ’s ‘franchise IP’ with cross-media expansion beyond the game, into television or movies”. The lawsuit claims that all parties agreed this “would become Cleveland’s focus”.

Image credit:Unknown Worlds

The lawsuit also claims that Krafton gave the other two leadership members the go-ahead to take on broader roles that might, presumably, see them working a little less closely on the game and more on this “franchise IP” stuff.

As for other employees, the lawsuit claims that in the runup to Subnautica 2’s eventual release, “Gill was negotiating incentive bonuses for the many employees who were not guaranteed to receive earnout pay because they joined Unknown Worlds after Krafton’s acquisition.”

The entire lawsuit is quite an angry blast of accusations. It is worth noting that key parts of the lawsuit are redacted. Important figures, such as the exact projected sales numbers of Subnautica 2, and the number of sales of previous games, are blacked out. So are some terms of the employment contracts between Krafton and Cleveland, MacGuire, and Gill. The exact formula that would calculate their earnout is redacted too. It’s likely more of these details would come out if it reaches court without a settlement.

As part of the lawsuit’s demands, the trio want to be restored to their roles at Unknown Worlds, and to be paid “damages in the amount [they] would have received in earnout payments” had Krafton not fired them all, plus “out-of-pocket loss, damages, and expenses in an amount to be determined at trial.”

Meanwhile, Krafton do not seem to be backing down.

“While we are disappointed that Charlie, Max, and Ted have filed a lawsuit seeking a huge payout, we look forward to defending ourselves in court,” they told Aftermath in a statement. “[D]ecisions were made to ensure Subnautica 2 is the best possible game and lives up to fan expectations. Releasing the game prematurely with insufficient content, falling short of what fans expect in a sequel, would have both disappointed the players — who are at the heart of everything Krafton does — and damaged the reputations of both the Subnautica and Unknown Worlds brands.”

<img loading=“lazy” src=“https://assetsio.gnwcdn.com/co8yd0.jpg?width=2048&height=2048&fit=bounds&quality=85&format=jpg&auto=webp" onerror=“this.onerror=null;this.src=‘https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhe7F7TRXHtjiKvHb5vS7DmnxvpHiDyoYyYvm1nHB3Qp2_w3BnM6A2eq4v7FYxCC9bfZt3a9vIMtAYEKUiaDQbHMg-ViyGmRIj39MLp0bGFfgfYw1Dc9q_H-T0wiTm3l0Uq42dETrN9eC8aGJ9_IORZsxST1AcLR7np1koOfcc7tnHa4S8Mwz_xD9d0=s16000';" alt=“Paying the Subnautica 2 team their promised bonus would be “embarrassing”, Krafton’s CEO allegedly told the game’s chief over lunch - 8”>

Subnautica 2

Video Game

Rock Paper Shotgun is better when you sign in

Sign in and join us on our journey to discover strange and compelling PC games.

All 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints and where to get them

These areas have the highest chance of giving you Blueprints

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Looking for more Arc Raiders Blueprints? It’s a special day when you find a Blueprint, as they’re among the most valuable items in Arc Raiders. If you find a Blueprint that you haven’t already found, then you must make sure you hold onto it at all costs, because Blueprints are the key to one of the most important and powerful systems of meta-progression in the game.

This guide aims to be the very best guide on Blueprints you can find, starting with a primer on what exactly they are and how they work in Arc Raiders, before delving into exactly where to get Blueprints and the very best farming spots for you to take in your search.

We’ll also go over how to get Blueprints from other unlikely activities, such as destroying Surveyors and completing specific quests. And you’ll also find the full list of all 75 Blueprints in Arc Raiders on this page (including the newest Blueprints added with the Cold Snap update , such as the Deadline Blueprint and Firework Box Blueprint), giving you all the information you need to expand your own crafting repertoire.

In this guide:

• What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?
• Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes
• Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders Blueprints obtained from quests Blueprints obtained from Trials Best Blueprint farming locations

What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?

Blueprints in Arc Raiders are special items which, if you manage to extract with them, you can expend to permanently unlock a new crafting recipe in your Workshop. If you manage to extract from a raid with an Anvil Blueprint, for example, you can unlock the ability to craft your very own Anvil Pistol, as many times as you like (as long as you have the crafting materials).

To use a Blueprint, simply open your Inventory while in the lobby, then right-click on the Blueprint and click “Learn And Consume” . This will permanently unlock the recipe for that item in your Workshop. As of the Stella Montis update, there are allegedly 75 different Blueprints to unlock - although only 68 are confirmed to be in the game so far. You can see all the Blueprints you’ve found and unlocked by going to the Workshop menu, and hitting “R” to bring up the Blueprint screen.

It’s possible to find duplicates of past Blueprints you’ve already unlocked. If you find these, then you can either sell them, or - if you like to play with friends - you can take it into a match and gift it to your friend so they can unlock that recipe for themselves. Another option is to keep hold of them until the time comes to donate them to the Expedition.

Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes

Below is the full list of all the Blueprints that are currently available to find in Arc Raiders, and the crafting recipe required for each item:

Note: The missing Blueprints in this list likely have not actually been added to the game at the time of writing, because none of the playerbase has managed to find any of them. As they are added to the game, I will update this page with the most relevant information so you know exactly how to get all 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints.

Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders

Below is a list of all containers, modifiers, and events which maximise your chances of finding Blueprints:

• Certain quests reward you with specific Blueprints .
• Completing Trials has a high chance of offering Blueprints as rewards.
• Surveyors have a decent chance of dropping Blueprints on death.
• High loot value areas tend to have a greater chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Night Raids and Storms may increase rare Blueprint spawn chances in containers.
• Containers with higher numbers of items may have a higher tendency to spawn Blueprints. As a result, Blue Gate (which has many “large” containers containing multiple items) may give you a higher chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Raider containers (Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, Medical Bags, Grenade Tubes) have increased Blueprint drop rates. As a result, the Uncovered Caches event gives you a high chance of finding Blueprints.
• Security Lockers have a higher than average chance of containing Blueprints.
• Certain Blueprints only seem to spawn under specific circumstances: Tempest Blueprint only spawns during Night Raid events. Vulcano Blueprint only spawns during Hidden Bunker events. Jupiter and Equaliser Blueprints only spawn during Harvester events.

Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, and other raider-oriented container types have a good chance of offering Blueprints. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints have a very low chance of spawning in any container in Arc Raiders, around 1-2% on average. However, there is a higher chance of finding Blueprints in particular container types. Specifically, you can find more Blueprints in Raider containers and security lockers.

Beyond this, if you’re looking for Blueprints you should focus on regions of the map which are marked as having particularly high-value loot. Areas such as the Control Tower in Dam Battlegrounds, the Arrival and Departure Buildings in Spaceport, and Pilgrim’s Peak in Blue Gate all have a better-than-average chance of spawning Blueprints somewhere amongst all their containers. Night Raids and Electromagnetic Storm events also increase the drop chances of certain Blueprints .

In addition to these containers, you can often loot Blueprints from destroyed Surveyors - the largest of the rolling ball ARC. Surveyors are more commonly found on the later maps - Spaceport and Blue Gate - and if one spawns in your match, you’ll likely see it by the blue laser beam that it casts into the sky while “surveying”.

Surveyors are quite well-armoured and will very speedily run away from you once it notices you, but if you can take one down then make sure you loot all its parts for a chance of obtaining certain unusual Blueprints.

Blueprints obtained from quests

One way in which you can get Blueprints is by completing certain quests for the vendors in Speranza. Some quests will reward you with a specific item Blueprint upon completion, so as long as you work through all the quests in Arc Raiders, you are guaranteed those Blueprints.

Here is the full list of all Blueprints you can get from quest rewards:

• Trigger Nade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Sparks Fly”.
• Lure Grenade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Greasing Her Palms”.
• Burletta Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Industrial Espionage”.
• Hullcracker Blueprint (and Launcher Ammo Blueprint): Rewarded after completing “The Major’s Footlocker”.

Alas, that’s only 4 Blueprints out of a total of 75 to unlock, so for the vast majority you will need to find them yourself during a raid. If you’re intent on farming Blueprints, then it’s best to equip yourself with cheap gear in case you lose it, but don’t use a free loadout because then you won’t get a safe pocket to stash any new Blueprint you find. No pain in Arc Raiders is sharper than failing to extract with a new Blueprint you’ve been after for a dozen hours already.

One of the best ways to get Blueprints is by hitting three stars on all five Trials every week. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints obtained from Trials

One of the very best ways to get Blueprints is as rewards for completing Trials in Arc Raiders. Trials are unlocked from Level 15 onwards, and allow you to earn rewards by focusing on certain tasks over the course of several raids. For example, one Trial might task you with dealing damage to Hornets, while another might challenge you to loot Supply Drops.

Trials refresh on a weekly basis, with a new week bringing five new Trials. Each Trial can offer up to three rewards after passing certain score milestones, and it’s possible to receive very high level loot from these reward crates - including Blueprints. So if you want to unlock as many Blueprints as possible, you should make a point of completing as many Trials as possible each week.

Best Blueprint farming locations

The very best way to get Blueprints is to frequent specific areas of the maps which combine high-tier loot pools with the right types of containers to search. Here are my recommendations for where to find Blueprints on every map, so you can always keep the search going for new crafting recipes to unlock.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Dam Battlegrounds

The best places to farm Blueprints on Dam Battlegrounds are the Control Tower, Power Generation Complex, Ruby Residence, and Pale Apartments . The first two regions, despite only being marked on the map as mid-tier loot, contain a phenomenal number of containers to loot. The Control Tower can also contain a couple of high-tier Security Lockers - though of course, you’ll need to have unlocked the Security Breach skill at the end of the Survival tree.

There’s also a lot of reporting amongst the playerbase that the Residential areas in the top-left of the map - Pale Apartments and Ruby Residence - give you a comparatively strong chance of finding Blueprints. Considering their size, there’s a high density of containers to loot in both locations, and they also have the benefit of being fairly out of the way. So you’re more likely to have all the containers to yourself.

Buried City

The best Blueprint farming locations on Buried City are the Santa Maria Houses, Grandioso Apartments, Town Hall, and the various buildings of the New District . Grandioso Apartments has a lower number of containers than the rest, but a high chance of spawning weapon cases - which have good Blueprint drop rates. The others are high-tier loot areas, with plenty of lootable containers - including Security Lockers.

Spaceport

The best places to find Blueprints on Spaceport are the Arrival and Departure Buildings, as well as Control Tower A6 and the Launch Towers . All these areas are labelled as high-value loot regions, and many of them are also very handily connected to one another by the Spaceport wall, which you can use to quickly run from one area to the next. At the tops of most of these buildings you’ll find at least one Security Locker, so this is an excellent farming route for players looking to find Blueprints.

The downside to looting Blueprints on Spaceport is that all these areas are hotly contested, particularly in Duos and Squads. You’ll need to be very focused and fast in order to complete the full farming route.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blue Gate

Blue Gate tends to have a good chance of dropping Blueprints, potentially because it generally has a high number of containers which can hold lots of items; so there’s a higher chance of a Blueprint spawning in each container. In my experience, the best Blueprint farming spots on Blue Gate are Pilgrim’s Peak, Raider’s Refuge, the Ancient Fort, and the Underground Complex beneath the Warehouse .

All of these areas contain a wealth of containers to loot. Raider’s Refuge has less to loot, but the majority of the containers in and around the Refuge are raider containers, which have a high chance of containing Blueprints - particularly during major events.

Stella Montis

On the whole, Stella Montis seems to have a very low drop rate for Blueprints (though a high chance of dropping other high-tier loot). If you do want to try farming Blueprints on this map, the best places to find Blueprints in Stella Montis are Medical Research, Assembly Workshop, and the Business Center . These areas have the highest density of containers to loot on the map.

In addition to this, the Western Tunnel has a few different Security Lockers to loot, so while there’s very little to loot elsewhere in this area of the map, it’s worth hitting those Security Lockers if you spawn there at the start of a match.

That wraps up this primer on how to get all the Blueprints in Arc Raiders as quickly as possible. With the Expedition system constantly resetting a large number of players’ Blueprints, it’s more important than ever to have the most up-to-date information on where to find all these Blueprints.

While you’re here, be sure to check out our Arc Raiders best guns tier list , as well as our primers on the best skills to unlock and all the different Field Depot locations on every map.

<img loading=“lazy” src=“https://assetsio.gnwcdn.com/co9rk1.jpg?width=2048&height=2048&fit=bounds&quality=85&format=jpg&auto=webp" onerror=“this.onerror=null;this.src=‘https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhe7F7TRXHtjiKvHb5vS7DmnxvpHiDyoYyYvm1nHB3Qp2_w3BnM6A2eq4v7FYxCC9bfZt3a9vIMtAYEKUiaDQbHMg-ViyGmRIj39MLp0bGFfgfYw1Dc9q_H-T0wiTm3l0Uq42dETrN9eC8aGJ9_IORZsxST1AcLR7np1koOfcc7tnHa4S8Mwz_xD9d0=s16000';" alt=“Paying the Subnautica 2 team their promised bonus would be “embarrassing”, Krafton’s CEO allegedly told the game’s chief over lunch - 18”>

ARC Raiders

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC

Rock Paper Shotgun is better when you sign in

Sign in and join us on our journey to discover strange and compelling PC games.