Fans of action RPG Last Epoch are understandably worried about today’s news that the studio behind it has been acquired by the publisher that’s currently being sued by a group of recently-ousted Subnautica 2 developers.
Judd Cobler, founder of Eleventh Hour Games, said there’s nothing to worry about in a series of posts on the Last Epoch forum.
“We’re aware of the situation with [Subnautica 2 developer] Unknown Worlds,” Cobler wrote in a reply underneath the announcement of the acquisition. “I don’t want to comment on it directly but after understanding it more deeply it isn’t something that concerns us entering into the partnership at all.”
Cobler is referring to the recent dispute between Krafton and the former studio heads of Unknown Worlds who claim they were fired earlier this month to help the publisher seize control of the company, delay Subnautica 2’s 2025 early access release, and avoid having to make a promised $250 million payout.
In a statement sent to the press, Krafton alleges that the developers “abandoned the responsibilities entrusted to them,” and left the game in an unreleasable state. It delayed the game into 2026 and says it’s “committed to fair and equitable compensation for all remaining Unknown Worlds employees who have continuously and tirelessly contributed to Subnautica 2’s development.”
With the news of Krafton buying Eleventh Hour Games coming out as the dispute continues to unfold, Last Epoch fans on Reddit and the game’s forums are concerned about what might happen.
“Krafton isn’t looking to change us,” Cobler said in another reply to a fan skeptical of what the buyout could mean for the studio’s future. He added that, while looking for a buyer, it was the only publisher that was “the most aligned in the mission and enabling us.”
Last Epoch, an action RPG that sits somewhere between the complexity of Path of Exile and the simplicity of Diablo, launched last year after a successful Kickstarter and early access period on Steam. Its third season, Beneath Ancient Skies, is set to drop next month.
In the announcement post, Cobler said the partnership with Krafton will allow the developer to “deliver things we’ve only dreamed of previously,” and that it will be “hiring many roles in the near future.”
The timing of the news is certainly not ideal and Cobler’s comments are fairly boilerplate, but some fans are jumping to very big conclusions rather quickly. That said, the skepticism seems warranted and I imagine people will be watching Eleventh Hour Games’ decisions like a hawk as it grows over the next year or so.