Overview
Vlad Korolev, CEO of Gunzilla, responded to multiple accusations of unpaid wages and operational instability with a lengthy, defensive rant on X (formerly Twitter). Former and current employees had alleged that the company, which operates the NFT battle royale Off the Grid, owed staff months of back pay and had failed to communicate regarding the situation. In his response, Korolev dismissed the critics as "haters," framing the payment disputes as nothing more than "FUD" (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) spread by online detractors targeting a major player in the Web3 gaming sector.
Korolev did not outright deny that some payments were delayed, but he carefully segmented the issue, claiming that any scheduling difficulties applied only to contractors, not full-time employees. He asserted that these delays were necessary measures to "not disrupt company operations" and protect the core business interests. The CEO emphasized that full-time staff salaries, he claimed, had never been delayed by more than a week over the company’s six-year history, while simultaneously stating that the company was "optimizing costs," a practice common across the tech and crypto industries today.
The controversy gained traction following specific claims from former staff members. For instance, senior VFX animator Paul Creamer detailed working for three extra months in late 2025, receiving assurances of temporary payment delays that were supposedly tied to the company's growth phase. These accounts paint a picture of a workforce that felt misled, while Korolev’s public statement pivots the narrative entirely, shifting the focus from internal payroll issues to the supposed malicious intent of external critics.
The Defense of Corporate Cash Flow
The Defense of Corporate Cash Flow
Korolev’s primary defense centers on the necessity of maintaining corporate liquidity and operational stability. He framed the payment scheduling as a strategic business decision rather than an accounting failure. The CEO stated that the company's cash flow dictated that some payments needed to be scheduled in a way that benefited the overall operation, even if it created temporary inconvenience for individual workers.
This narrative of financial necessity is a common talking point in high-growth, volatile sectors like crypto and Web3. By emphasizing the need to "protect the interests of our players," Korolev positioned the company’s actions as being in the best interest of the ecosystem, suggesting that any criticism of cost optimization is merely a misunderstanding of complex corporate finance.
The CEO also took pains to address the accusations head-on, pointing out that one of the most vocal critics—a contractor who had recently finished working with the company—had allegedly been repaid immediately. This specific detail serves to undermine the credibility of the accusers, suggesting that the complaints are selective, motivated, or simply inaccurate. The implication is clear: the accusers are not speaking from a position of genuine grievance, but from a place of opportunism.
Bragging Rights and the Culture of Crunch
Beyond the payroll disputes, the CEO used the platform to deliver a lengthy, highly publicized monologue about the sheer effort put into developing Off the Grid. Korolev asserted that the game was performing well and that its success was a direct result of the intense, unrelenting work ethic of the entire studio team.
The CEO did not shy away from discussing the concept of "crunch time," instead presenting it as a badge of honor and a necessary component of industry success. He boasted that within the studio's six-year operational history, there had never been a single day where anyone worked in a "work-life balance" mode. Instead, the development cycle was characterized as a "day-and-night fight to ship a project."
This public display of work ethic is a classic, and often controversial, industry trope. While it aims to inspire confidence in the product's quality and the team's dedication, it also sidesteps the fundamental issue of sustainable labor practices. The message is one of extreme dedication, suggesting that the company’s success is predicated on the willingness of its staff to sacrifice personal time and boundaries.
The Web3 Gaming Landscape and Hater Narratives
The entire rant is framed within a larger battle against what Korolev labels "haters." These critics are painted as individuals who are merely spreading negative information to generate views and target the "biggest web3 game ever created." This framing attempts to elevate the dispute from a simple labor dispute into a culture war over the future of decentralized gaming.
By linking the payment disputes to the broader narrative of Web3 skepticism, Korolev attempts to co-opt the criticism. He suggests that the accusers are not merely disgruntled employees, but agents of a larger, anti-Web3 force. This rhetorical maneuver is designed to rally the company's existing fanbase and create an "us vs. them" dynamic, making internal operational issues seem trivial compared to the monumental task of building a major gaming title in a nascent industry.
The implication for the industry is that any challenge to a major Web3 project—whether financial, technical, or labor-related—will be dismissed as external sabotage rather than internal operational weakness.
