Playdead, the developer behind acclaimed indie games Limbo and Inside, is currently embroiled in a public dispute between its co-founders, Dino Patti and Arnt Jensen. The tension, which began around Patti's departure in 2016, has recently escalated. Patti alleges that Jensen has subjected him to "bullying" and "repeated" legal threats since his exit. The latest contention involves a now-deleted LinkedIn post by Patti, where he discussed Limbo's development and shared a photo taken by Jensen, leading to a demand for approximately £56,000 in compensation.
In response, Playdead issued a statement confirming it had "submitted demands" based on claims of "infringement and unauthorised use of Playdead's trademarks and copyrighted works in a commercial and marketing context." The company emphasized the necessity of protecting its intellectual property, stating these elements are "essential to Playdead's business and reputation."
Patti, defending his contributions, asserted he was a "significant part of building Playdead from the ground up" and that without him, "Playdead wouldn't have existed." He urged Jensen to "stop the bullying," declaring, "I will not stop being who I am. I will never erase my own history. You can't rewrite the past just because of a bad breakup."
Currently, Playdead is developing its third game, with Epic Games handling publishing duties. Meanwhile, Patti co-founded a new studio, Jumpship, which released its first game, Somerville, in 2022.