Legal Battle Ensues Between Playdead Founders

The gaming community has been taken aback by a public clash between Playdead’s co-founders, Dino Patti and Arnt Jensen, revolving around issues of intellectual property.

The dispute traces back to a LinkedIn post, which has since been removed, from 2024. Patti posted an image on LinkedIn that Jensen claimed ownership of. This led Jensen to request compensation of DKK 500,000, roughly equivalent to $72,600, as reported by Game Developer.

In a pointed message drafted by Jensen’s legal team and shared by Patti on LinkedIn, they warned, “We want to emphasize and advise caution regarding your ongoing use of Playdead’s assets. Utilizing internal insights about Playdead for commercial reasons breaches confidentiality agreements and infringes on our rights.”

The message went on to accuse Patti of misrepresenting his involvement in the game development process. “By offering people a behind-the-scenes look at Limbo’s development, you imply a significant, even creative, role that you did not actually fulfill,” the letter stated. “This misrepresents your contributions to our partners and the wider gaming community, suggesting an importance in Limbo’s creation that wasn’t there.”

Patti has defended his decision to make the matter public, claiming that Jensen has engaged in intimidation tactics against him in the past.

Playdead addressed the situation in an email to Game Developer, stating they’ve “issued demands” to Patti concerning what they consider “the breach and unauthorized use of Playdead’s trademarks and copyrighted works for commercial and marketing purposes.”

The studio elaborated, “Taking this step is important for safeguarding our trademarks and copyrights, which are vital to both Playdead’s operations and its reputation.”

Playdead was established in 2006 and gained acclaim with the release of two indie classics: Limbo in 2010 and Inside in 2016. Patti parted ways with the company in 2016, amid speculations of a falling out with Jensen.