Producer of Limbo faces legal dispute between founders: Dino Patti and Playdead enter into conflict

It seems that not everything is black and white in the world of Limbo. The Playdead, a famous indie developer behind the acclaimed Limbo and Inside, is at the center of an intense legal dispute between its founders, Arnt Jensen and Dino Patti, even after Patti's official departure from the company in 2016. The dispute, which seemed dormant, resurfaced in 2024 and now takes on more serious legal contours.

As revealed by Dino Patti himself through the social network X (formerly Twitter), he was recently approached by Playdead's lawyers, who sent what he described as a "legal love letter" written by Jensen, but formalized by the company's legal team.

This letter demands that Patti pay approximately 67 thousand euros as compensation for allegedly disclosing copyrighted images from Playdead in a post made on LinkedIn in 2024 — a post that has already been removed. The post in question featured images of Limbo and Inside, accompanied by a personal reflection on the time Patti spent at the helm of the studio during the development of these two classics.

"I've received several of these letters in the nine years since I left Playdead," Patti commented publicly. "But now they threaten me with a lawsuit for sharing an image of Limbo that is publicly available."

The conflict goes beyond the simple question of the images. According to Patti, Playdead also accuses him of deceiving the public by claiming to have been creatively involved in the games, despite his name appearing formally in the credits as development director on Limbo and executive producer on Inside.

"They accuse me of pretending to have creatively participated in Limbo and Inside, even though I am credited as development director and executive producer," Patti vented.

The former co-founder also did not hold back direct criticism of Jensen, stating that the current head of Playdead is trying to erase his history within the company through legal threats.

"I will continue to tell the truth and I cannot change the past, no matter how much Arnt Jensen tries to threaten me with lawsuits," reiterated Patti.

It is worth remembering that, in 2016, when Patti left Playdead, rumors already indicated a tumultuous departure, with creative and management disagreements between the two founders. Since then, Patti founded the studio Jumpship, responsible for Somerville, another game with aesthetic and narrative approach echoing the style of Inside and Limbo.

Meanwhile, Playdead continues to work on a new project, not officially announced yet, which supposedly will continue the line of immersive and dark experiences for which the studio became famous.

However, this legal battle raises questions about the internal climate of Playdead, shedding light on the tensions surrounding authorship and credit in the gaming industry, especially in independent studios that gained worldwide fame with such impactful works.

It remains to be seen how this dispute will be resolved and the impact it may have on the legacy of Limbo, Inside, and the future of Playdead.