Gunzilla CEO Defends Paying Developers in Twitter Post
▼ Summary
– Former and current Gunzilla employees allege the company owes months of back pay and has ghosted them.
– CEO Vlad Korolev responded by calling critics “haters,” denying delayed pay for full-time staff, and attributing contractor payment delays to cash flow management.
– Korolev appeared to brag about the studio’s persistent crunch culture, stating no one had worked with “work-life balance” for six years.
– He also highlighted Gunzilla’s acquisition of Game Informer, claiming it revived the magazine, and promoted Off the Grid’s growth using its cryptocurrency.
– Despite Korolev’s claims, Off the Grid has never exceeded 20,000 concurrent Steam players, and one former animator detailed working three months without pay after assurances from management.
The CEO of Gunzilla has publicly responded to allegations of withheld wages by dismissing critics as “haters” and defending the company’s payment practices. In a lengthy social media post this week, Vlad Korolev addressed claims from current and former staff that they are owed months of back pay, framing the situation as a targeted campaign of misinformation against his company and its flagship NFT battle royale game, Off the Grid. While not denying payment delays outright, Korolev asserted they only affect contractors, not full-time employees, and are a necessary measure for cash flow management.
Korolev’s statement, posted on April 9, directly countered narratives circulating on professional networks. He argued that accusations of the company failing to pay staff represent the latest wave of “FUD” (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) from detractors. The CEO admitted to optimizing costs, a practice he claims is universal across gaming and tech sectors, and confirmed that some contractor payments are scheduled to align with the company’s financial operations. He emphasized that salaries for full-time employees have allegedly never been delayed by more than a week in six years and stated that all obligations will be honored.
These corporate assurances starkly contrast with employee accounts. Multiple individuals have reported going unpaid for months, with claims that management has ceased communication entirely. One former senior VFX animator, Paul Creamer, detailed working for three extra months in late 2025 based on promises from upper management that payment delays were temporary. Creamer stated that CEO Korolev personally assured his department in December that invoices would be settled promptly, the company was profitable, and that their patience was commendable.
Beyond the payment controversy, Korolev’s post took a defiant and celebratory tone regarding company culture and achievements. He boasted about the team’s intense work ethic, stating there has “never been a single day” of work-life balance in six years, framing the development of Off the Grid as a relentless “day-and-night fight.” He also highlighted Gunzilla’s 2025 rescue of Game Informer magazine following its closure by GameStop, claiming the publication is thriving under new ownership.
The CEO further promoted the success of Off the Grid, suggesting its player base is growing over a year post-launch. He made an unusual offer, challenging critics to review player data for a payment of 100,000 GUN, the company’s cryptocurrency valued at approximately $1,700. This claim of growth exists alongside publicly available Steam data, which shows the game has never surpassed 20,000 concurrent players. When a user questioned if an AI wrote his lengthy post, Korolev’s succinct reply was, “Find a job.”
(Source: Kotaku)
