Update (October 3)

After publication of the unique article, Aleksander Rostov has confirmed on behalf of Robert Kurvitz, Helen Hindpere, and himself – through Twitter – that the trio is not at ZA/UM. 

Additionally, ZA/UM has offered the next assertion concerning the departures:

Like any online game, the event of Disco Elysium was and nonetheless is a collective effort, with each workforce member’s contribution important and valued as a part of a larger complete. At this time, we have now no additional remark to make apart from the ZA/UM inventive workforce’s focus stays on the event of our subsequent venture, and we’re excited to share extra information on this with you all quickly.

Kotaku has additionally reported, through nameless sources conversant in the scenario, that Kurvitz’ departure additionally contained a risk of attainable authorized motion:

According to 2 sources conversant in the scenario, the studio’s inside announcement of Kurvitz’s departure late final 12 months additionally contained a risk of attainable authorized motion in opposition to him. Any break up would have been made messier by Kurvitz and Rostov being shareholders within the studio, the sources stated.

The unique article will be discovered under.

Original (October 1)

It appears that key growth workers members at ZA/UM – the studio behind Disco Elysium – are not on the firm or engaged on a follow-up to the wonderful RPG. This is in line with a weblog submit from Martin Luiga, a founding member of the ZA/UM cultural affiliation which predates the event firm.

Luiga’s weblog submit claims that the ZA/UM cultural affiliation has now been dissolved, despite the fact that ZA/UM – the sport growth firm – is seemingly nonetheless energetic. However, lead designer Robert Kurvitz, artwork director Aleksander Rostov, and lead author Helen Hindpere are all listed by title as having involuntarily left ZA/UM for the reason that finish of 2021, in line with the submit.

For some context, ZA/UM was initially based as a collective of artwork and music, as detailed in a 2020 GamesRadar characteristic. It is said that, at its founding, ZA/UM merely wished to open a inventive outlet and thus gathered artists and writers who created music, work, and books – together with Kurvitz’s novel Sacred And Terrible Air, which is about in the identical world as Disco Elysium.

In some follow-up tweets [1, 2], Luiga mentions {that a} sequel should still occur, however it could take a very long time to return to fruition. He additionally notes that “The cash folks come from a background which says you gotta seize when you possibly can even when it in reality doesn’t make a lot financial sense.”

We’ve shared the submit under in full.

I, Martin Luiga, a founding member and Secretary of the ZA/UM cultural affiliation, in addition to the assembler of many of the core workforce, am hereby dissolving the ZA/UM cultural affiliation (to not be confused with the ZA/UM firm, on which topic I might notice that neither Kurvitz, Hindpere nor Rostov are working there for the reason that finish of final 12 months and their leaving the corporate was involuntary. Which would appear like unhealthy information for the loving followers which can be ready for the Disco sequel.)

The purpose for dissolving the cultural group is that it not represents the ethos it was based on. People and concepts are supposed to be everlasting; organizations could be momentary. I discover that the group was profitable general and many of the errors that have been made have been contingent, decided by the sociocultural circumstances we have been thrown into. I nonetheless encourage folks to arrange, and I might say that one of many qualities that the ZA/UM cultural group sorely lacked was just about any formal construction.

For some time, it was lovely. My sincerest due to all which have rooted for us.

Martin Luiga