Second-quarter revenue rose 94.9% as Subnautica 2 and PUBG drove growth, while the company detailed a resolved Unknown Worlds dispute, Gamescom plans and ongoing AI investment.
Krafton reported its strongest-ever half-year performance for 2026, with first-half revenue of 2.66 trillion won and operating profit of 972.5 billion won, up 73.3% and 38.3% respectively from a year earlier. Second-quarter revenue climbed 94.9% to 1.29 trillion won and operating profit rose 67.0% to 410.9 billion won, both setting new second-quarter records. The surge was led by Subnautica 2, which launched in early access on May 14 at $29.99, sold 1 million copies within an hour, 2 million within 12 hours and 5 million within 22 days, helping lift first-half revenue for the Subnautica intellectual property to 232.5 billion won. CEO Kim Chang-han said the title supports Krafton's franchise-led growth strategy, while CFO Bae Dong-geun said it is expected to receive about two years of updates before a full v1.0 release. PUBG also remained a major earnings driver, with first-half franchise revenue up 25% year-over-year, supported by new PC modes and growth in PUBG MOBILE and BGMI. Krafton said second-quarter PC revenue surged 155.1% to 560.4 billion won, console revenue jumped 143.3% to 23.8 billion won, mobile revenue rose 5.5% to 451 billion won, and the Others segment reached 255 billion won. The company confirmed that legal proceedings tied to its 2021 acquisition of Unknown Worlds were fully dismissed in a June 30 settlement after a Delaware court had found Krafton's earlier rationale for removing studio leaders was pretextual. It also said it will show five 2027-targeted titles at Gamescom 2026, including a new PUBG-based game, while continuing AI research and a shareholder return policy that included about 100 billion won in first-half buybacks and cancellations.