Jeff Strain is one of the inventors of Guild Wars - now he wants $ 900 million from Netease and raises serious accusations. What happened?
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It sounds like the plot of an HBO drama:A prominent game designer, a Chinese publisher giant, alleged call murder campaigns and a castle in Los Angeles. But that's exactly what a real argument on court is about.
At the center: Jeff Strain, former Blizzard developer, Arenet co-founder (Guild Wars) and head behind the State of Decay Studio Undead Labs.Together with his wife Annie, he later founded Prytania Media, which included several developer studios that were closed in 2024 in a bizarre way.
Now the strains are suing the Chinese publisher Netease (Marvel Rivals) at $ 900 million.The story behind it deserves a closer look.
A strange story about leaks and layoffs
According to the application, Netease is said to have spread false information about the studio and its management. These "defamatory rumors", among other things, claimed that Jeff and Annie Strain had misappropriated company money and dismissed employees illegally.
The accusation: it was a targeted campaign to harm the young developer studio business and to destroy the reputation of the founder couple sustainably. Possibility Space was founded in 2021, employed up to 100 employees and wanted to develop a cooperative, inclusive game with a social message. The code name was Vonnegut.
