Disco Elysium Writers and Art Director Have Involuntarily Left Developer ZA/UM

Developer ZA/UM of Disco Elysium has seen the departure of its writers and art director. According to editor Martin Luiga on Medium, the trio has not been working at the studio since the “end of last year,” and their departure was “involuntary.” The ZA/UM Cultural Association, which was the collective that went on to develop Disco Elysium, has also been dissolved though ZA/UM studio still exists.

All three had key roles in the RPG’s success. While acting as the sole designer, Kurvitz worked as a writer along with Helen Hindpere. Aleksander Rostov was the art director and confirmed on Twitter that all three were no longer at the studio.

As for the ZA/UM Cultural Association’s end, Luiga said, “I find that the organization was successful overall, and most of the mistakes that were made were contingent, determined by the sociocultural conditions we were thrown into. I still encourage people to organize, and I would say that one of the qualities that the ZA/UM cultural organization sorely lacked was pretty much any formal structure.”

As for the future of Disco Elysium’s sequel, Luiga addressed concerns on Twitter, stating that things “are actually sweet enough” and that “you might even get it the way it was meant.” He notes that it may take a “s**t ton of time” but adds that “RPG fans are sorta accustomed to waiting, ain’t they.”

Neither the trio nor Luiga has shared details on the former’s departure from the studio. Time will ultimately tell how the sequel turns out, so stay tuned. Disco Elysium is currently available for PS4, PS5, PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Google Stadia. Check out our review for The Final Cut version here. It also seems that ZA/UM is working on a sci-fi title developed on Unreal Engine 5.

Nah I think that things with the sequel are actually sweet enough, you might even get it the way it was meant, it might take a shit ton of time but RPG fans are sorta accustomed to waiting, ain't they

— • | NORMAL SIULS||•• . (@verekuningas) October 1, 2022

We confirm that we are no longer at the studio.

— Aleksander Rostov, Robert Kurvitz, Helen Hindpere

— Aleksander Rostov (@artofrostov) October 2, 2022