In September 2013, after being publicly accused of creating a hostile work environment, Stieglitz's role within the company was reduced to president of NomNom Games, a minor subsidiary of the studio.

[8] During 2015, Trendy Entertainment and its lawyers repeatedly contacted Stieglitz in regard to his involvement with Studio Wildcard, including through a cease and desist letter sent in July that year.

On December 18, 2015, Trendy Entertainment filed a lawsuit against him and Studio Wildcard at Florida's Eighth Circuit Civil Court in Alachua County.

The company alleged that Stieglitz had violated the non-compete agreement by establishing Studio Wildcard, developing Ark: Survival Evolved, and hiring employees from Trendy Entertainment.

[2][3] Through the lawsuit, Trendy Entertainment sought for US$600 million in damages as well as a permanent injunction against Studio Wildcard releasing video games.

"[2][3] The defense later argued that, because the non-compete clause had expired in August 2015, Trendy Entertainment had only filed the lawsuit after Studio Wildcard's December 2015 acquisition to profit from the success of Ark.

They also claimed that the game could not have competed with Trendy Entertainment's products, as Ark was rated for mature audiences, was more expensive, and required better hardware to function.

[12] For PixArk, a spin-off developed by Snail Games and announced in 2018, Studio Wildcard provided "design and technical input".

[17] Vin Diesel, who stars in Ark II, joined Studio Wildcard as "president of creative convergence" (executive producer) to oversee the game.