Legal Battle Emerges Between Playdead Founders

Dino Patti and Arnt Jensen, the creative minds behind Playdead, are embroiled in a rather public disagreement over intellectual property rights.

The drama traces back to a LinkedIn post from 2024—now removed—where Patti shared an image owned by Jensen. This prompted Jensen to demand compensation of DKK 500,000 (which is about $72,600), as reported by Game Developer.

In a stern “legal love letter” shared by Patti on LinkedIn, Jensen’s legal team warned, “We urge you to stop using Playdead’s assets and sharing confidential insights for personal gain, as it’s a violation of confidentiality agreements.”

They further argued, “By divulging key development processes of Limbo, you misleadingly suggest your involvement was more significant, particularly on the creative front, than it actually was. This misrepresents your role to our partners and the broader gaming community, given you weren’t pivotal to Limbo’s creative journey.”

Patti counters by accusing Jensen of past bullying, which he claims has pushed him to air this conflict publicly.

In response, Playdead officially emailed Game Developer, stating they’ve approached Patti with demands over his “improper use and misappropriation of Playdead’s trademarks and protected works in commercial and marketing scenarios.”

The studio reiterated, “Protecting our trademarks and copyrights, critical to our reputation and business, compelled us to act.”

Playdead, established some time ago, is recognized for two beloved indie hits—2010’s Limbo and 2016’s Inside. Patti departed the company in 2016 amidst rumors of a fallout with Jensen.