Former Disco Elysium developers who worked off at ZA/UM have established not one, not two, but three new independent studios, and all three have been announced on the same day, with each confirmed to be working on RPG projects.
For starters, there’s Dark Math Games, which currently has a team of about 20 people, roughly half of whom worked on Disco Elysium. The studio is currently working on a detective RPG titled XXX Nightshift, which is currently in development for PC.
Set in an off-season holiday resort in Antarctica, XXX Nightshit will place an emphasis on choice and consequence mechanics, a dynamic companion system, and unique detective systems and mechanics. Check out the game’s announcement trailer below, which showcases dialogue-focused gameplay glimpses.
“Additionally to innovating the traditional RPG mechanics, we’ll bring something fresh to the table,” says Dark Math Games co-founder, art director, and tactical lead Timo Albert. “You will see. And of course, a few less words. And a few more bullets, perhaps. In total: lot more fun.”
Then there’s Longdue, a new studio formed by former Disco Elysium developers, as well as industry veterans who have previously worked at Bungie, Rockstar Games, and more. The studio says it has secured funding with which it will develop its debut project, which it describes as a “psychogeographic RPG with narrative depth”.
“At Longdue, we’re inspired by decades of classic RPGs, from Ultima and Wizardry, through Fallout and Planescape, to the justifiably adored Disco Elysium,” says narrative director Grant Roberts. “We’re excited to continue that legacy with another narrative-first, psychological RPG, where the interplay between inner worlds and external landscapes is the beating heart of the experience. We’re building a world-class team for a world-class game that will tell a world-class story, and we can’t wait to show you more.”
Last but not least, there’s Summer Eternal, another new independent studio that’s described as both an “art collective” and “RPG studio”. The studio is founded by a number of former Disco Elysium developers, including writers Argo Tuulik, Dora Klindzic, and Olga Moskvina, concept artist Anastasia Ivanova, voice actor Lenval Brown, and graphic designer Michael Oswell.
Co-founder Argo Tuulik says, “I believe that the last time around, we made something genre-breaking. Discipline-transcending. Something completely new. I am not ready to give up on that. The lessons learned, skills developed, experience forged—for five fucking years I’ve been waiting to put them to use. So we went back to the drawing board with one goal in mind—let’s do it fresh from the start, but this time let’s not fuck each other the moment the checkered flag drops. It makes the entire mankind look bad.”