A growing scandal has enveloped the popular Russian visual novel "Tiny Bunny," also known as "Зайчик," as its developers, Evgeny Sokarev and Anton Starcev (known as Saikono), come under fire from former composer Dmitry Petяkin. The conflict ignited when Petяkin, who created the game's soundtrack, demanded over $13 million from the developers, insisting he deserves more than the payment he initially received.
Initially released in 2021, "Tiny Bunny" gained fame within the horror genre, securing a dedicated following. Petяkin has returned five years later, claiming his prior agreement with the developers, which granted them unlimited rights to the music, is invalid due to changing interpretations of copyright laws.
Sokarev and Starcev assert they fully compensated Petяkin for his work at the time, but as the game became more successful, the former composer sought additional financial compensation, calling his previous contract "null and void." This prompted the developers to label Petяkin as deceptive, alleging he had intended to mislead them about the ownership laws surrounding music.
Complicatively, Petяkin has unleashed threats and harassment against the game's creators, allegedly sending copyright claims to various YouTube content creators featuring gameplay videos. Notably, popular streamer Dmitry Kuplinov revealed he removed all of his "Tiny Bunny" gameplay videos from YouTube after facing direct coercion from Petяkin, who demanded monetarily from creators discussing the game. He claimed his contract with the developers was absurd, leading to frictions.
“I removed all episodes of Tiny Bunny from YouTube, but they are still available on VK. Here’s the situation: the composer, whose music the game’s creator bought, suddenly wanted more money after many years, began shaming the game’s author, and when he was refused, started to send strikes for YouTube, including to me,” Kuplinov explained. “I contacted him via email, and I also received my dose of threats.”
According to Kuplinov, Petяkin implied there would be consequences for those who continued to promote "Tiny Bunny," stating, “While these disputes and courts are going on, I don’t want to risk even the temporary ban on the channel.” He expressed his strong disapproval, encouraging others to be cautious of working with Petяkin, labeling him untrustworthy.
With growing pressure from Petяkin and his associates, there is concern among the developers and other content creators about the consequences of voicing support for "Tiny Bunny." The hostile actions led Sokarev and Starcev to replace the entirety of Petяkin's compositions with new music for the game, ensuring gameplay videos wouldn’t face takedown threats moving forward.
Interestingly, Evgeny Ivanov, aspiring to translate the game to Spanish, also became embroiled in the ordeal. Claiming friendship with Petяkin, he sought to report the developers over perceived grievances against the game. “It’s surprising how these two have teamed up, fueled by their common interest to disparage the team,” noted Sokarev. Control over their creative rights seems to have cemented these partnerships, which the developers now view as potentially dangerous.
The situation escalated as Ivanov filed complaints with the Russian Investigative Committee over supposed offensive content within "Tiny Bunny;" these complaints were later dismissed by authorities upon investigation.
Amidst the turmoil, Sokarev and Starcev expressed bewilderment over how they have spent so much time dealing with threats and harassment. “Petяkin and Ivanov are truly dangerous to society; one should keep as far as possible from them,” they stated. They publicly urged others to raise awareness about the situation, even contemplating going to notable Russian journalists to seek resolution.
“We deeply regret the time lost to fighting back against these harassments, yet we trust we’ll secure victory,” the developers said, determined to protect their rights and the integrity of their work.
This dispute raises broader questions surrounding the ownership rights for creative works, especially within the vast digital content space, where games, videos, and music coexist. The "Tiny Bunny" incident spotlights how fragile these agreements can become and the potential for financial and emotional turmoil when expectations misalign.