Playdead, the studio behind indie hits Limbo and Inside, has demanded compensation and reimbursement from studio co-founder Dino Patti on claims of copyright infringement — an act that Patti describes as “bullying” from fellow co-founder Arnt Jensen (thanks for the heads up, Game Developer).
The pair split shortly after Inside’s release in 2016, with Patti leaving to form Somerville studio Jumpship and, this week, the feud between the two has gone public.
In a recent LinkedIn post, Patti claims that he has “repeatedly” received “legal love letters” from Playdead in the nine years since his departure. The latest of which, the dev shares, is dated 3rd March 2025 and threatens an IP lawsuit if Patti fails to pay 500,000 DKK (£56,000 / $73,000) in “compensation and reimbursement” for sharing an “unauthorised” Limbo picture in a now-deleted LinkedIn post.
In a statement released to Game Developer, Playdead confirmed that it had, indeed, “submitted demands” to Patti regarding copyright infringement. “We have found it necessary to take this action to protect our trademarks and copyrights,” the studio continued, “which are essential to Playdead’s business and reputation”.
The post in question, according to the legal letter shared in full on Patti’s LinkedIn, “constitutes an infringement of Playdead’s intellectual property rights” in which Patti was “falsely giving the impression that [he] played a significant role, including a creative role, in the development of the game”.
Patti has since removed the LinkedIn post with which Playdead seemingly took issue, though, posting the letter online, he shared the following “hard truth”:
• You know I was a significant part of building Playdead from the ground up—I know it too.
• Those first years were a battle like no other. We fought, built, and pushed through together.
• Without me, Playdead wouldn’t have existed. That’s not ego. That’s a fact.
After stating that he will “never erase [his] own history”, Patti concludes, “Arnt, please stop the bullying. I will not stop being who I am.”
