Polygon.com / 13.03.25

Game publisher blames NetEase leaks for implosion in $900M lawsuit

Prytania Media owners Annie and Jeff Strain are suing NetEase for defamation, unfair trade practices, and interference with business relations, which the lawsuit says led to the destruction of the company and its multiple subsidiaries: Crop Circle Games, Possibility Space, Fang & Claw, and Dawon Entertainment. Each of these studios shut down in 2024, and the Strains laid off all their employees; in the case of both Crop Circle and Possibility Space, the Strains blamed the closure on staff allegedly leaking information about their studios to the press (and in particular, an unpublished Kotaku story about Possibility Space) and an inability to get funding. NetEase, for its part, was an investor in Crop Circle Games. Per documents filed in court, Prytania Media owned approximately 75% of that particular subsidiary, and NetEase owned 25%. Both Annie and Jeff Strain resigned from their positions within the studio when filing the lawsuit. The lawsuit, which Polygon has reviewed, was filed in...
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