Disco Elysium Developers Face Layoffs Following Struggles with New Game

ZA/UM has announced a wave of layoffs following the underwhelming commercial performance of their latest title, Zero Parades: For Dead Spies. The studio, renowned for the acclaimed 2019 narrative RPG Disco Elysium, shared this news in a post on Bluesky.

Despite receiving critical praise, Zero Parades has not generated enough revenue to maintain the studio’s current workforce. Consequently, 32 employees across various departments have been issued redundancy and at-risk notices. The studio acknowledged the significant contributions of these individuals, stating, “Their work has made a lasting difference and left its mark on Zero Parades: For Dead Spies, and the studio as a whole.”

ZA/UM has also engaged with representatives from the ZA/UM Workers’ Alliance during this process. While these layoffs will reshape the studio, ZA/UM remains committed to its mission, asserting, “We will persist.” This isn’t the first time the studio has faced layoffs; in 2024, up to 24 employees were affected.

Zero Parades: For Dead Spies launched in May as the eagerly awaited sequel to Disco Elysium. The espionage RPG retained many of the narrative and gameplay elements that defined the studio’s debut. In our review, we noted:

Zero Parades is an absolutely absorbing mystery that lies somewhere in the cross-section between geopolitical thriller, comedy of errors, and humanist tragedy. When it’s not trying too hard to retrace Disco Elysium’s signature, Zero Parades excels as a complicated story of a perpetual fuck-up desperately searching for redemption.

Since the release of Disco Elysium, ZA/UM has been embroiled in controversy. In 2021, several key figures, including lead designer Robert Kurvitz, were ousted from the studio, sparking a series of legal disputes and discussions attempting to clarify the situation. This ongoing saga has complicated the narrative surrounding Zero Parades’ development and release, with many fans feeling that purchasing the game and supporting the current leadership would betray the ousted employees. A PlayStation 5 version of Zero Parades is expected to launch later this year.

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