Hidden Variable Takes Legal Action Against Autumn Games Over Alleged $1.2 Million Unpaid Work Dispute
Characterized by the potential of Hidden Variable/Autumn Games.
The developer Hidden Variable has confirmed its “disengagement” from the Skullgirls series following a lawsuit against publisher Autumn Games.
The lawsuit claims that Autumn owes Hidden Variable $1.2 million for its contributions to Skullgirls Mobile and the 2015 release of Skullgirls 2nd Encore. Hidden Variable asserted that Autumn was supposed to begin payment in late 2024 but did not settle these accounts by January 21, 2025. After that date, the studio provided Autumn with “all of the account login details needed to maintain community support for the game […] to avoid harming the game.”
“From December 2014 to approximately October 2024, the Plaintiff and Autumn maintained a fruitful business partnership,” the lawsuit states. “The Plaintiff fully fulfilled its responsibilities under the Twelfth Amendment until January 21, 2025. […] In spite of the Plaintiff’s compliance and agreement to do so, Autumn neglected and/or refused to appropriately compensate the Plaintiff for the services rendered as per the Twelfth Amendment.”
In a public statement, Hidden Variable expressed that it was “incredibly proud of the 10+ years we’ve dedicated to Skullgirls in all its variations. […] Above all, we are thankful to have been part of the remarkable Skullgirls community. Thank you all for everything—you deserve nothing less than the best.”
Autumn Games’ Jason Donnell subsequently released a statement indicating that the company was “making adjustments.” Although it did not directly address the lawsuit from Hidden Variable, Autumn’s statement emphasized its commitment to “reinvesting” in Skullgirls. “It’s here to stay, and we are completely dedicated to shaping its future.”
The saga of Skullgirls
Reverge Labs, and later Lab Zero Games, originally launched Skullgirls in 2012, and the fighting game has faced numerous challenges since then.
In 2020, players and former employees accused designer Mike Zaimont of misconduct. Multiple developers made specific allegations against Zaimont, who was subsequently denounced by Hidden Variable and Autumn. Zaimont later terminated the remaining Lab Zero employees, prompting several of them to establish a new studio, Future Club.
Skullgirls Mobile was fully developed by Hidden Variable, which collaborated with Future Club on 2nd Encore DLC. Both games have received continuous support.
Hidden Variable has stated that it will not comment on its lawsuit against Autumn Games while the matter is still in progress.
About the Author
Contributing Editor, GameDeveloper.com
A native of Kansas City, MO, Justin Carter has contributed to numerous websites including IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. In addition to Game Developer, his writing can also be found on io9 at Gizmodo. Don’t ask him about how much gum he has had, as the answer is likely more than he is willing to divulge.