Update, Thursday, March 16: Robert Kurvitz and Sander Taal have issued a response to ZA/UM legal dispute and have described the matter as “deeply misleading” as a directly concerned party.
In a statement sent to GamesIndustry.biz, Kurvitz and Taal (the latter being an alias for Aleksander Rostov, according to ZA/UM) said the press release is false in multiple areas. The pair maintain they are the remaining minority shareholders of the studio.
The developers explained, “The press release implies that our employment claims against the studio were withdrawn for lack of evidence. They were not. We see our dismissal as part of a larger campaign against us and will pursue legal options accordingly.”
The statement adds that they disagreed with Kender admitting the lawsuit he withdrew in December 2022 was misguided.
"Kender’s lawsuit was based on the misuse of ZA/UM’s funds (€4.8 million) by the majority shareholders [Ilmar Kompus and Tõnis Haavel] to increase their own stake in the company. In the press release, Kompus and Haavel admit to this misuse, arguing only that the money has been ‘paid back to ZA/UM,’ " the duo explained.
“Paying back stolen money, however, does not undo the crime; here, it does not undo the majority that Kompus and Haavel have illegally gained in ZA/UM.”
Additionally, they described that, unlike Kender, they will not be silenced in this ongoing legal dispute.
“Unlike Kender, we have not participated in the looting of ZA/UM, and Kompus and Haavel have no power over us.”
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