Legal Battle Ensues Between Playdead Co-Founders

Dino Patti and Arnt Jensen, the minds behind the renowned game studio Playdead, are currently embroiled in a heated dispute concerning intellectual property rights.

The disagreement traces back to a LinkedIn post from 2024 that has since been removed. In it, Patti shared an image owned by Jensen, leading to Jensen asking for 500,000 Danish Krone (which is about $72,600) as compensation and reimbursement, according to a report by Game Developer.

Jensen’s legal team issued a strongly worded warning, playfully dubbed a “legal love letter,” which Patti made public on LinkedIn. In it, they warned him against further use of Playdead’s intellectual property or revealing confidential company knowledge for commercial purposes, stating that such actions violate confidentiality agreements.

The letter also accused Patti of misleading others by implying he had a significant creative role in developing the game Limbo. According to Jensen, Patti’s actions give a false impression to business partners and the gaming community about his contributions to Limbo’s creation.

In response, Patti alleges that he decided to go public due to what he describes as bullying behavior from Jensen in the past.

Playdead, through a statement to Game Developer, confirmed they’ve reached out to Patti with demands related to what they allege is the misuse of their trademarks and copyrighted materials. They went on to explain the steps they’ve taken are crucial to safeguarding the studio’s business integrity and reputation.

Founded at a time that isn’t specified in the current conversation, Playdead has gained notoriety for their cult hits, Limbo, released in 2010, and Inside, which came out in 2016. The latter year also marked Patti’s departure from the studio, following rumors of discord between him and Jensen.