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Disco Elysium 2: The Messy Aftermath and the Rise of Three Successors!
Disco Elysium was a phenomenon! That amazing, mind-bending detective RPG from the indie studio ZA/UM swept everyone off their feet; earning tons of awards including several Game Awards (2019) andBAFTA awards.Its unique blend of surrealism, political commentary, and deep storytelling had made a seriously amazing impact and its critical acclaim and innovative techniques generated enormous anticipation for any potential sequel. Yet a storm was brewing.
Even before the game's release (October 15, 2019),ZA/UMwas already hinting at a sequel, according to aRock Paper Shotguninterview – which included writer Robert Kurvitz's idea to have a pregnant protagonist!This idea is interesting, expanding its existing themes surrounding identity. It would've demonstrated further creative expansion; but sadly those dreams were quickly destroyed.
Soon after the huge initial success– with plans for console ports and expansions; and even that big Amazon series teased! Things completely blew up! Internal strife; legal battles and that infamous, complex and ultimately tragic struggle would consumeZA/UM. While a sequel might be impossible; it certainly wouldn’t imply the death of this franchise's success overall! The ensuing events highlighted those failures and questionable decisions that plagued ZA/UM throughout that era. The situation has changed in numerous and highly surprising ways.
October 2022brought a bombshell! Writer Robert KurvitzsuedZA/UM! Soon after,ZA/UMannounced it had firedKurvitz, writer Helen Hindpere, and art director Aleksander Rostovfor "misconduct"— claiming they created a toxic work environment and thatKurvitztried (and failed) to sellZA/UM'sintellectual property. This made everything intensely messy, even bizarre, but many things began happening.
KurvitzandRostovcountered; claimingZA/UMhad been fraudulently sold with investor Kaur Kender'shelp. This made things even crazier; but further demonstrating the incredibly messy nature of internal conflicts occurring. This complex chain of lawsuits ended with a surprising reveal: everyone involved actually withdrew the lawsuit. The claims around intellectual property, mismanagement and accusations never got any resolution! Kenderwas also fired. ThenFebruary 2024brought news fromSports Illustrated:ZA/UMfaced huge layoffs and cancellation of projectX7, this particular expansion featuringArgo Tuulik, that remaining writer!
TuulikdeclaredZA/UM“a one-game studio”— and those former employees had completely abandoned that specific "corporate body”. ZA/UMresponded vaguely (“We adapt our team size to ongoing projects…”). Their X(formerly Twitter) account still exists (October 2024) and its website even has job openings (including one as recent as October 10th). So didZA/UMcompletely shut down? We don’t really know! Any projects after that tumultuous period? Impossible to know right now!
Then suddenly, a surprisingly exciting new development occurs. October 11th:Longdue, a new studio, appears out of nowhere! It plans to make aDisco Elysiumspiritual successor; described as “psychogeographic”— emphasizing that deeper connection between the narrative, character’s personality, and its setting.
Other studios suddenly emerged, claiming involvement from that previousZA/UMteam. This involved: Dark Math Games(makingXXX Nightshift— a near-future Antarctica detective game; it looked surprisingly similar toDisco Elysium; including its dice mechanics!) AndSummer Eternal(formed in part byTuulik), promising an equally interesting but less controversial take. There is more, there were those who might want their share:Robert KurvitzandAleksander Rostovapparently formed their own studio,Red InfoLtd! Yet even those promising things are never shown!
ZA/UM'scollapse is deeply strange and shows many elements of disappointment from fans worldwide! Even this bizarre conclusion leaves its lingering implications: This situation involves internal disputes, conflicts; showcasing many questionable and terrible management decisions! It also reveals the messy side of the games industry– a situation almost too bizarre to make for reality, yet demonstrates exactly why things like legal conflicts could damage everything so incredibly effectively. And that's still not quite clear yet: did this all start from the beginning; or was this an eventual development only fully discovered years later. These questions still remain!
Even so, its incredible legacy continues, especially from the efforts of others outside of that studio and those impacted directly. Three studios, appearing surprisingly unexpectedly and independently emerged with very promising projects. They seem to promise those unique blends of writing, intense philosophical aspects and unique gameplay; emphasizing many of the best parts and all that generated enormous amounts of interest toward its earlier predecessor.