Released in 2010,Limbowas one of the original breakout indie games. Developer Playdead released two fantastic indie games: the previously mentionedLimboand 2016’sInside.
Arnt Jensen and Dino Patti co-founded the studio in 2006, but things got a little messy following the release of Inside.
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Patti leftPlaydeadon July 19th, 2016, and it was reported that Patti and Jensen disagreed on when and how to release their games. Patti would tellCecilia D’Anastasio, then a reporter for Kotaku, that he departed the studio due to “the supposed timeline for the next project(s) and where I am in my life now.” A report from the Danish newspaper Dagbladet Borsen said the two were barely speaking as of 2015.
That wouldn’t be the end of their drama, though,with things getting ugly in 2024. Patti alleged that he was threatened with an IP suit from Jensen following their fallout. Jensen claims that Patti broke copyright by posting a “lengthy description” aboutLimbo’s development on a LinkedIn post in 2024. The post is now deleted but contained an “unauthorized” photo that Jensen owned. He demanded 500,000 DKK ($72,630) for compensation and reimbursement.
I bring this all up because, according to an interview withArkaden, Patti says Playdead’s lawyers are moving forward with the lawsuit and planning to go to trial.
Patti says this lawsuit is part of Jensen’s attempt to remove Patti from Playdead’s history. Patti points out that the original credits for Limbo have him on the first page as executive producer. However, re-releases after that show him far lower on the list.
A legal letter sent to Patti from Playdead’s lawyers claims that Patti was claiming he was more involved in the game’s development than he actually was. “We want to repeat and caution that your continued use of Playdead’s assets and any disclosure and exploitation of inside knowledge about Playdead for commercial purposes is infringing and constitutes breach of confidentiality clauses,” the letter says.
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“By providing recipients with core insights to the process of developing Limbo, you are falsely giving the impression that you played a significant role, including a creative role, in the game’s development.”
Patti hopes the upcoming trial will allow him to speak freely about what happened. “The cool thing is that journalists like you [Arkaden] can request access to everything that happens,” he said. “And I won’t hold anything back – I’ll basically be legally required to release all the images and materials showing what’s gone on.”
Patti’s new studio,Jumpship, would releaseSomervillein 2022 to mixedreviews.
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