Disco Elysium's Fall & Rise: Lawsuits, Layoffs & 3 New Studios

Disco Elysium 2: The Messy Aftermath and the Rise of Three Successors!

Disco Elysium's Legacy: From Indie Darling to Legal Nightmare

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) and BAFTA 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/UM was already hinting at a sequel, according to a Rock Paper Shotgun interview – 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 consume ZA/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.

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The ZA/UM Implosion: Lawsuits, Layoffs, and the Demise of X7

Disco Elysium Creators Next Game Sci Fi Space Setting Image

October 2022 brought a bombshell! Writer Robert Kurvitz sued ZA/UM! Soon after, ZA/UM announced it had fired Kurvitz, writer Helen Hindpere, and art director Aleksander Rostov for "misconduct"— claiming they created a toxic work environment and that Kurvitz tried (and failed) to sell ZA/UM's intellectual property. This made everything intensely messy, even bizarre, but many things began happening.

Kurvitz and Rostov countered; claiming ZA/UM had been fraudulently sold with investor Kaur Kender's help. 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! Kender was also fired. Then February 2024 brought news from Sports Illustrated: ZA/UM faced huge layoffs and cancellation of project X7, this particular expansion featuring Argo Tuulik, that remaining writer!

Tuulik declared ZA/UM “a one-game studio” — and those former employees had completely abandoned that specific "corporate body”. ZA/UM responded 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 did ZA/UM completely shut down? We don’t really know! Any projects after that tumultuous period? Impossible to know right now!

From the Ashes of ZA/UM: Three New Studios Rise!

The main protagonist from Metaphor ReFantazio on the left with the protagonist from Neo Fantasian on the right in front of gameplay from the Dragon Quest 3 remake. Image

Then suddenly, a surprisingly exciting new development occurs. October 11th: Longdue, a new studio, appears out of nowhere! It plans to make a Disco Elysium spiritual 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 previous ZA/UM team. This involved: Dark Math Games (making XXX Nightshift— a near-future Antarctica detective game; it looked surprisingly similar to Disco Elysium; including its dice mechanics!) And Summer Eternal (formed in part by Tuulik), promising an equally interesting but less controversial take. There is more, there were those who might want their share: Robert Kurvitz and Aleksander Rostov apparently formed their own studio, Red Info Ltd! Yet even those promising things are never shown!

Conclusion: The Disco Elysium Legacy Lives On— in Unexpected Ways

Artwork of the detectives Kim Kitsuragi and Harry Du Bois from Disco Elysium. Image

ZA/UM's collapse 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.

Disco Elysium's Fall & Rise: Lawsuits, Layoffs & 3 New Studios

Disco Elysium's Legacy: From Indie Darling to Legal Nightmare

The ZA/UM Implosion: Lawsuits, Layoffs, and the Demise of X7

From the Ashes of ZA/UM: Three New Studios Rise!

Conclusion: The Disco Elysium Legacy Lives On— in Unexpected Ways

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