Who owns Unknown Worlds?
Unknown Worlds is owned by KRAFTON (South Korea, KRX: 259960), which has owned the brand since 2021.[1]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Evidence: KRAFTON, Inc. 사업보고서 (FY2025, corrected 15 May 2026), 15 May 2026. Last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- KRAFTON, Inc. reported
- Owned since
- Owner HQ
- 🇰🇷 South Korea, Seoul
- Origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Category
- Technology › Game makers & platforms › Game publishers & studios
- Parent ticker
- KRX: 259960
- Last verified
- · 2 sources
About Unknown Worlds
Unknown Worlds Entertainment is the American studio behind Subnautica and Moonbreaker. KRAFTON agreed to buy all of it on 29 October 2021, with a deal that closed in December 2021, for about USD 553 million upfront plus an earn-out of up to USD 250 million. KRAFTON says the studio missed its revenue forecasts for 2023 to 2025, and whether any of the earn-out is paid is to be decided during 2026.
Ownership timeline of Unknown Worlds
Where Unknown Worlds sits in KRAFTON
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full KRAFTON ownership tree →
See the full KRAFTON brand portfolio (6) →
Other brands owned by KRAFTON
KRAFTON controls 6 brands on Brandtree.
- BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA (2021)
- inZOI (2025)
- PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS
- Subnautica
- The Callisto Protocol (2022)
Other brands in game publishers & studios, and who owns them
The 22 brands in game publishers & studios on Brandtree belong to 8 owners. The largest is Atari, with 5.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Atari | Atari | 🇱🇺 Luxembourg |
| Brainium | PLAYSTUDIOS | 🇺🇸 United States |
| KartKraft | Motorsport Games | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Haemimont Games | Paradox Interactive | 🇸🇪 Sweden |
| DoubleDown Casino | DoubleDown Interactive | 🇰🇷 South Korea |
| Embark Studios | Nexon | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| Snail Games USA | Snail | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Digital Eclipse | Atari | 🇱🇺 Luxembourg |
About the owner: KRAFTON
KRAFTON is a publicly listed company headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, founded in 2007. Brandtree records 6 brands under its control, and it is listed as KRX: 259960.
KRAFTON, Inc. is the South Korean game developer and publisher behind PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS. It was founded on 26 March 2007 as Bluehole, took the KRAFTON name on 30 November 2018 and has been listed on the Korea Exchange since 10 August 2021. Its 2025 revenue was KRW 3.33 trillion, 90% of it from games and the rest from advertising after it bought Japan's ADK Group in October 2025. It owns studios in the United States, such as Unknown Worlds and Striking Distance, as well as in Korea.
🇺🇸 Unknown Worlds and other American brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 2,570 brands that began in the United States. 492 of them (19%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country, Unknown Worlds among them.
- AccuTrade — Cars.com 🇺🇸
- Armstrong Air — Lennox 🇺🇸
- Atari — Atari 🇱🇺
- AxiomSL — Nasdaq 🇺🇸
- Blankfactor — Globant 🇱🇺
- Brainium — PLAYSTUDIOS 🇺🇸
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Unknown Worlds?
The parent company of Unknown Worlds is KRAFTON, a publicly listed company headquartered in South Korea.
Is Unknown Worlds American or South Korean?
Unknown Worlds originated in the United States, but it is owned today by KRAFTON, which is headquartered in South Korea. So Unknown Worlds is an American-origin brand under South Korean ownership.
Since when has KRAFTON owned Unknown Worlds?
KRAFTON has owned Unknown Worlds since 2021.
Is Unknown Worlds still owned by KRAFTON?
Yes. As of 28 October 2026, Unknown Worlds is still owned by KRAFTON. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (2) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] KRAFTON, Inc. 사업보고서 (FY2025, corrected 15 May 2026) — KRAFTON, Inc., Stock exchange filing, published 15 May 2026; retrieved 28 October 2026.
- [2] KRAFTON, Inc. 반기보고서 (first half of 2026) — KRAFTON, Inc., Stock exchange filing, published 14 August 2026; retrieved 28 October 2026.
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