Dino Patti on Multiplayer, Stop Killing Games, and Legal Battles with Playdead

The journey from co-founding a legendary indie studio to pioneering accessible multiplayer technology is a path few have walked. Dino Patti, renowned for his work on Limbo and Inside at Playdead, has spent the last seven years building Coherence, a tool designed to democratize online multiplayer for developers of all sizes. Following the platform’s recent 2.0 launch and its acquisition by the Roundtable Interactive Group, Patti reflects on the mission to simplify networked play, the pressing issue of game preservation, and an ongoing legal chapter with his former studio partner.

The sale to Roundtable, a group with holdings in companies like GameMill Entertainment and Auroch Digital, felt like a natural progression. Patti notes that when you begin with venture investment, such an outcome is often the end goal. He emphasizes that Roundtable was the right fit because they bought into the vision, rather than seeking to dismantle the technology for parts, a risk he associates with potential acquisition by a tech giant. The core of Coherence’s appeal lies in its ability to retrofit multiplayer functionality into games originally designed as single-player experiences. A new partnership with Poncle to add multiplayer to Vampire Survivors is a prime example, showcasing how the tool can empower teams with no prior networking expertise.

The latest update introduces crucial flexibility in hosting options, cloud, client, or self-hosted, alongside a revised pricing model. Development tools are free for studios earning under $200,000, with a flat monthly Pro Tier fee for larger teams, while hosting costs scale with active users. Deep integration with Unity allows developers to get started in minutes, lowering the barrier to entry in a way Patti compares to Unity’s own revolutionary impact on game creation.

Patti believes the multiplayer space remains underexplored, particularly regarding emotional depth and cooperative experiences. He points to emerging lo-fi co-op titles as inspiration, asking how the process can be made even easier. This philosophy of accessibility extends to a critical industry concern: game preservation. The hosting flexibility Coherence provides means a title can begin with peer-to-peer networking, scale up to dedicated servers if successful, and then scale back down as the player base dwindles. This technical approach directly addresses the concerns of movements like Stop Killing Games, which advocate for solutions that keep older titles playable rather than shutting them down entirely.

Patti expresses a personal stake in this issue, having purchased games like The Crew only to see servers discontinued. He argues that while businesses cannot be forced to operate services at a loss, technology can provide a middle ground, allowing smaller-scale play to continue. He suggests models where communities could even host their own servers, similar to Minecraft, offering a sustainable path forward.

Convincing developers of Coherence’s potential, however, remains an uphill battle. Patti admits that teams often don’t grasp the possibilities until they see a prototype of their own game running with multiplayer in a matter of weeks. He draws a parallel to the early skepticism faced by Unity, a platform now ubiquitous. For Patti, this mission is personal, born from his own frustration when seeking tools to prototype a multiplayer game. Trust is paramount in his approach; some custom contracts even include clauses ensuring developers retain access to code and services should Coherence ever cease operations. He points to the recent backlash against Unity’s Runtime Fee as a cautionary tale of how quickly trust can be eroded in the development community.

Despite the sale, Patti isn’t planning an immediate departure, though he deeply misses hands-on game development. He recalls the focused, talented environment of building Limbo and Inside, admitting he naively thought building Coherence would be a two-year project. Raising investment introduced him to a new world of financiers unfamiliar with his gaming pedigree. After seven years away, the pull to return is strong, and he acknowledges that making games again is a definite, if uncertain, future plan.

That past, however, is not without its shadows. Since his departure from Playdead in 2016, Patti has been engaged in legal disputes with co-founder Arnt Jensen. A recent arbitration attempt failed, setting the stage for a court meeting next November. The current contention revolves around Patti sharing historical Limbo development images on social media, which Jensen has challenged under Danish law. Patti finds the action “super stupid” but feels compelled to see it through to defend his legacy. He alleges Jensen is attempting to aggressively write him out of Playdead’s history, removing credits and disputing his co-founder status. Patti welcomes the potential public scrutiny a trial would bring, believing it will finally set the record straight about their partnership and the tumultuous period surrounding his exit. For him, it’s a costly but necessary fight for his place in the story.

(Source: Games Industry)