Report: Disco Elysium Developer to Lay Off Around 25% of Staff, Cancels New Game (2025)

Report: Disco Elysium Developer to Lay Off Around 25% of Staff, Cancels New Game (1)

by William D'Angelo , posted on 03 March 2024 / 2,952 Views

Disco Elysium developer ZA/UM looks like it will be hit with layoffs following the cancellation of project codenamed X7, according to sources close to matter who spoke with GLHF.

The sources say around 24 employees, which is about a quarter of the total workforce, will be laid off. The cancelled project was going to be a standaloneexpansion for Disco Elysium.

ZA/UM president Ed Tomaszewski said the cancelled project "was a game that was one to two years away from completion" and it could've taken "more time and effort than Disco Elysium did."

Report: Disco Elysium Developer to Lay Off Around 25% of Staff, Cancels New Game (3)

ZA/UM CEO Ilmar Kompus told staff of the cuts, according to the sources, and stated it will mostly affect "the X7 team but also our non-development teams and non-X7 projects."

The sources claim this is the third big project cancelled at the developer. This includes a sequel to Disco Elysium was cancelled in 2022 and development on a game set in a new sci-fi IP was paused last year.

A life-long and avid gamer,William D'Angelowas first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his ownYouTube channelandTwitch channel. You can contact the authoron Twitter@TrunksWD.


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7 Comments

UnderwaterFunktown (on 15 February 2024)

Damn that's pretty sad, you'd think they were sitting pretty considering how big a sucess their debut game was, but it does sound like a lot of people for an indie studio with 1 released game. They're actually still hiring on their website though...

  • +3

hellobion2 (on 15 February 2024)

sad news to hear from a good studio

  • +1

INCITATUSBR (on 15 February 2024)

so sad... Disco Elysium is a marterpiece, hope they can resume their games in a near future

  • +1

LivncA_Dis3 (on 16 February 2024)

Not much sales I guess.

Doesn't matter if u have universal acclaim from gamers and critics alike,

U need that dough!

  • 0

Mar1217 (on 15 February 2024)

If memory serves, the creators for Disco Elysium were already let go a year back or two no ? Doubt this new project would've had almost anything to do with that game. No matter, the cancellation of their new game is certainly not good news for the future of the studio ...

  • 0

JWeinCom (on 15 February 2024)

It was a good game, but I don't know if it needed a sequel or an expansion. I think this happens a lot when new studios have a big hit and don't necessarily have a good idea for what to do next.

  • 0

EnricoPallazzo (on 15 February 2024)

Thats really ironic that the disco elysium studio will be firing people. Its sad though, I hope these people can find jobs anywhere else.

  • 0

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Report: Disco Elysium Developer to Lay Off Around 25% of Staff, Cancels New Game (2025)

FAQs

Report: Disco Elysium Developer to Lay Off Around 25% of Staff, Cancels New Game? ›

Original story: According to a new report from Video Games on Sports Illustrated (VGSI), Disco Elysium developer ZA/UM is laying off a quarter of its staff. Twenty-four employees are said to be affected overall, and follow the recent cancellation of a project codenamed X7.

What happened to the Disco Elysium developers? ›

A follow-up to the legendary Disco Elysium might have been ready to play within the next year⁠—ZA/UM's devs loved it, management canceled it and laid off the team: 'For a while it seemed like miracles were possible, and with them redemption' It was supposed to be the "110% authentic, most hardcore Disco since Disco."

Is Disco Elysium 2 cancelled? ›

A full sequel to Disco Elysium was canceled after Kurvitz, Rostov, and Hindpere left the studio, and an unrelated sci-fi RPG was put on pause in 2023, but has since been cancelled. X7, a standalone expansion to the original DE, was canceled in February.

How many devs worked on Disco Elysium? ›

Overall, by the time of the game's release, ZA/UM had about 20 outside consultants and 35 in-house developers, with a team of eight writers assisting Kurvitz in the game's dialogue. The majority of the game's funding was provided by Estonian businessman Margus Linnamäe. The game uses the Unity engine.

Why did Sylvie leave Disco Elysium? ›

During the events of Disco Elysium

At first, it was thought that Garte had contributed to her leaving by asking for her number, however, she denies it and if an Empathy check is passed, confesses that due to Harry's two-day drunken catastrophe, she left to get away from him as he was the worst client she had ever seen.

What does zaum stand for? ›

Coined by Kruchenykh in 1913, the word zaum is made up of the Russian prefix за "beyond, behind" and noun ум "the mind, nous" and has been translated as "transreason", "transration" or "beyonsense." According to scholar Gerald Janecek, zaum can be defined as experimental poetic language characterized by indeterminacy ...

Was Disco Elysium a financial success? ›

Disco Elysium is a text-heavy role-playing game (RPG) about an alcoholic cop with amnesia investigating a murder in an alternative universe. Playing this strange and beautiful game, one can't help but wonder how it got made — much less how it became a mainstream hit, grossing over $70 million.

How many hours does it take to finish Disco Elysium? ›

When focusing on the main objectives, Disco Elysium is about 23½ Hours in length. If you're a gamer that strives to see all aspects of the game, you are likely to spend around 46½ Hours to obtain 100% completion.

Did Disco Elysium sell well? ›

Disco Elysium has sold 2.6 million units on Steam.

94% of the game's reviews were positive. Its gross revenue was $67.6 million. The average playtime for the game is 40.3 hours. The median playtime for the game is 32.9 hours.

Is it possible to fail Disco Elysium? ›

There are two checks in Disco Elysium that are hard-coded to fail. One can be found along the coast on the other side of the river. It's a door that Kim thinks leads to a wartime supply depot.

What happens if you take drugs in Disco Elysium? ›

Doing drugs, alcohol, or smoking each have benefits in the form of stat boosts, but damage your health. Abusing drugs and alcohol too frequently can lead you to being too unstable to complete the game, or even to your character's death.

Why is Disco Elysium so good? ›

Disco Elysium is a point 'n' click adventure that looks and plays a lot like a 90s RPG and is a delight for those that seek games with rich lore and a plethora of narrative options.

What happened with Disco Elysium and Za Um? ›

Update: Disco Elysium developer ZA/UM confirms layoffs Update: Disco Elysium developer ZA/UM confirms layoffs. Workers at ZA/UM allege management is mishandling the Disco Elysium studio and mistreating its veteran staff.

Will the creators of Disco Elysium make another game? ›

UPDATE: Disco Elysium is never getting a sequel or spin-off, says final original writer to be laid off at ZA/UM. “The individuals of ZA/UM, the cultural movement, have left the corporate body behind.”

Why did Zaum dissolve? ›

IGN's Twenty Questions - Guess the game!

The ZA/UM cultural association is different from the studio ZA/UM that developed Disco Elysium, and Luiga says that he chose to dissolve the cultural organization as it "no longer represents the ethos it was founded on."

Where did Ruby go Disco Elysium? ›

To be more specific, she's actually hiding out in the basement of the derelict Feld Building, which is surrounded by a dilapidated boardwalk, amusement park, and fish market. It shouldn't be too difficult to find since it has a large mural painted on the front of the building.

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