Gunzilla Games, developers of the blockchain battle royale Off the Grid and recent owners of Game Informer, stands accused of withholding salaries from staff for months. Ex-employees report Ukrainian workers unpaid for four to six months, international contractors since October 2025, and UK and German staff missing March payments. Principal artists Oleksandr Linovichenko and Anton Kharyn claim non-payment for August and September work before departing in October, while contractor Paul Creamer states he worked unpaid through December after similar assurances from upper management.

The company attributes delays to 'growing pains' of a new studio launching a major title, with management promising temporary fixes. Pension contributions halted after November 2025 following earlier backpayments, blamed on a payroll provider. Anna Savina, former talent acquisition lead, publicly flagged 'significant salary delays' on LinkedIn before updating that hers were resolved. Glassdoor reviews echo the pattern, citing half-year delays and management evasion, with one noting waves of layoffs every two months alongside unpaid Kyiv office staff.

CEO Vlad Korolev dismissed the claims as 'FUD' on X, insisting full-time staff face no delays beyond a week and contractor payments follow cash flow schedules, all obligations honored. This comes amid a UK subsidiary name change to Geofvision on April 6, 2026, and after $25 million initial funding in 2020. While Game Informer was revived post-GameStop closure, the studio's internal Slack features a custom beggar emoji for reactions to leadership posts—a quiet rebellion amid the silence.

Ukrainian forums host additional complaints, predating today's coverage. As Off the Grid entered early access in October 2024 with NFT elements, the financial trail—from funding to acquisitions to unpaid desks—raises questions about where the money went. Growing pains excuse the symptoms, but the disease looks terminal.