Developers of NFT Battle Royale Game Face Allegations of Months-Long Unpaid Wages

Gunzilla, a video game developer known for its NFT-driven third-person battle royale game, has come under fire from several current and former employees who allege they haven’t been paid for months and have been ignored when seeking their owed wages.

On April 7, a former head of talent acquisition at Gunzilla, Anna Savina, took to LinkedIn to express her frustration about being owed multiple months of salary after dedicating three years to the company. Despite her attempts to reach out to studio leadership, she claims to have received no response.

“I’m not the only one,” Savina stated. “I know many talented colleagues who are in the same situation. We’re not asking for bonuses; we’re demanding what we have earned.”

Former Senior VFX Animator Paul Creamer also shared his experience on LinkedIn, stating he worked for several months without pay in late 2025. He mentioned that he continued working for an additional three months with assurances that payment delays would be resolved.

“I foolishly worked for three extra months (October, November, and December) with promises that the payment issues were temporary and part of the growing pains of a new company,” Creamer wrote. “In December, the CEO himself, Vlad Korolev, assured us that invoices would be paid soon and that the company was profitable, encouraging us to keep quiet and continue our work.”

However, those promised payments never materialized, leading Creamer, Savina, and others to claim that Gunzilla is failing to compensate them for their work.

Animator Rayan Tiraghan commented below Savina’s post, stating, “They also owe me three months of salary,” while current QA developer Vladyslav Makarevych echoed similar sentiments, revealing he hadn’t been paid since September. “Half a year without salary during wartime isn’t exactly what I was hoping for. No clear communication, ignoring all questions, and recently changing the company registration while revoking access to email and Jira. I wonder if we’ll ever get paid for all this trouble.”

Concept artist Andrew Snitsar added, “The same here, but after more than five years with the company. I’ve never experienced anything like this before. I trusted their promises because we were ‘family,’ and now they owe me five months’ worth of salary. What a shame; I can’t believe I was so naive.”

These comments are just a glimpse into the growing chorus of former and current Gunzilla staff claiming they are owed significant amounts of unpaid wages, with many more sharing their stories on LinkedIn.

In October 2024, Gunzilla released its battle royale shooter in early access on consoles and PC. The game allows players to buy and sell NFTs using cryptocurrency via the blockchain, although these features are restricted on console and Steam. Only the Epic Store version supports the full NFT system. In March 2025, Gunzilla acquired a gaming outlet and revived it after it was shut down in 2024, asserting that it operates independently from the studio.