Krafton acquires Subnautica developer Unknown Worlds

Krafton expands its IP library with Unknown Worlds acquisition.
krafton
Krafton has made the acquisition of Unknown Worlds.

Krafton, the publisher behind PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, announced that it has acquired Subnautica developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment. Unknown Worlds became the sixth studio under the umbrella of Krafton after this acquisition. The developer’s best-known game is Subnautica, which was released into early access in 2014 and has sold over 5 million copies by January 2020. Krafton’s move appears to have been made to diversify the company’s IP portfolio.

Krafton is also the owner of Battlegrounds Mobile India, which has made a name for itself and its earnings in the mobile gaming space in the past. It is a matter of curiosity whether the company, which continues its expansion, will release a new mobile game after its lucrative games.

Changhan Kim, CEO of Krafton, said in a statement on the subject:

“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.”

Krafton PUBG
Battlegrounds Mobile India is generating good revenue for Krafton.

Unknown Worlds will maintain its independence from Krafton and will not replace its current leadership and structure. Krafton also said that the company he bought is working on new projects. The statement made by Unknown Worlds CEO Charlie Cleveland on the subject is as follows:

“It was immediately apparent how closely Unknown Worlds and Krafton are aligned in the way we think about games and game development. Subnautica and PUBG both started humbly and evolved successfully through constant iteration and feedback. We want to bring new games to the world stage–and with Krafton, we’re a big step closer. We’re truly looking forward to our future together.”

David Kalina, the head of the new games team, said in an interview with The Escapist that they are looking for new game genres.

The news of the acquisition comes a few months after news of Krafton’s disappointing IPO. Krafton entered the market boldly with an opening of $500 per share. Afterwards, the company’s value decreased by 8 percent, while the total demand price decreased by approximately 870 million dollars. Although the movements against the video game industry in the Asian market are shown as one of the reasons for this decline, this situation is not expected to affect the value of Unknown World.

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