Gunzilla Games, the studio behind the NFT-laden battle royale Off The Grid, is staring down a winding-up petition that could force its UK arm into liquidation over unpaid contractor bills exceeding $100,000.

The Vertex Guild, a 3D art production and photogrammetry outfit, filed the active petition after allegedly going unpaid for marketing and asset work contracted in 2024. This follows a withdrawn HMRC petition backed by Future PLC, settled only after Gunzilla coughed up what it owed the tax authorities. Multiple contractors, including technical animator Akhil Chinnabathini and lighting artist Marko Dijan, have publicly accused the studio on LinkedIn of withholding pay for at least six months, with some Ukraine-based staff reportedly unpaid since 2025. CEO Vlad Korolev previously claimed full-time salaries were never delayed more than a week, chalking up contractor issues to "cash flow scheduling" while ranting about haters and bragging about crunch.

The pattern is familiar: raised over $120 million, three rounds of layoffs shrinking the team from 470 to around 250, whispers of selective payments favoring certain offices, and an NFT/blockchain pivot that never delivered the player numbers to sustain the operation. Off The Grid's dreams of a decentralized shooter empire are crumbling under the weight of the same old industry sins—promises made, invoices ignored, and leadership pointing fingers at critics instead of fixing the books. The receipts are in the court filings and public posts; the excuses are wearing thin.

This isn't some one-off cash crunch. It's the NFT BR bubble meeting reality, leaving contractors and former staff holding the bag while the studio that bought Game Informer in better times now dodges liquidation petitions. Studios fear Riley's FOIA requests for a reason. The money trail doesn't lie.