Well, it was never going to wrap up that neatly, was it? It turns out that the emergence of an internal memo revealing that Subnautica 2 is aiming for an early access release in May won’t be the moment that the messy legal dispute between publishers Krafton and three former lead developers on the game – one of whom’s now been reinstated – ends.

Lawyers representing Unknown Worlds co-founders Charlie Cleveland, Max McGuire, and Ted Gill – the three leads – have now accused Krafton of having “intentionally leaked” the memo from Steve Papoutsis, the exec the publishwrs put in charge after firing Cleveland, McGuire, and Gill last year.

As reported by Game File, the leads’ Lionel Hutzes argued this in a letter to vice chancellor Lori Will of Delaware’s Court of Chancery – the judge in the case between them and Krafton – on Tuesday this week. That’s the day after Will issued a decision ordering Krafton to reinstate Ted Gill as Unknown Worlds CEO and give him control over Subnautica 2‘s early access release plans. Papoutsis’ memo subsequently told developers on Subnautica 2 that their efforts have resulted “in a game we are truly proud of, one that each of us and our partners at Krafton unanimously determined is ready for Early Access release in May”.

It’s fair to say Gill and co’s side aren’t best pleased with that being how an early access window was announced. “Krafton self-servingly announced the launch without any regard to its impact on the game, the team, or the community—let alone this Court’s Opinion,” they wrote. “Announcing the release of a game is momentous, and it is typically accompanied by significant marketing activity, fanfare, and community coordination. And most importantly, the announcement is carefully designed to maximize excitement for the game. That entire process was supposed to be driven by Mr. Gill. However, in defiance of the Court’s Opinion, Krafton has now taken that away, further damaging the game and sowing additional confusion among the Subnautica community.”

Naturally, Krafton’s Lionel Hutzes have swiftly fired back in their own letter. “Papoutsis’s message was simply celebrating the UW employees’ efforts toward a past event: Krafton’s pre-Opinion determination that Subnautica 2 was ready for Early Access release,” they wrote. “There was nothing improper about conveying the results of the milestone review or thanking the development team for their dedication and talent.” Finally, they argued that “Gill will be able to assess independently his views on the state of Subnautica 2 and the appropriate release schedule; nothing in Papoutsis’s message alters Gill’s authority or discretion”.

Will’s reportedly not responded to either letter and doesn’t have to – she’s already ordered the two sides to confer this week and submit a proposed judgment that matches her ruling on the case. As far as whether that May window for Subnautica 2’s early access launch will stick, Gill’s side haven’t indicated his feelings on that yet. As Game File point out, the reinstated exec’s primary concern here’s likely not the specific timeline outlined in the memo, but the fact it having been made public could put him in a bit of a box in terms of the game’s initial launch. That’s extra important given all these legal wranglings, which millions of dollars worth of bonus payouts to Unknown Worlds’ team based on how Subnautica 2 does when it releases have been a key element of.

So, maybe don’t start clearing out a bunch of time in May to play Sub 2 just yet.