Several lead developers on Disco Elysium were "fired under false premises," per their former coworker Martin Luiga.
Luiga, who was a co-founder of ZA/UM in its initial capacity as an artists' collective and then again in its incarnation as a game development studio, told GamePressure that lead designer Robert Kurvitz, writer Helen Hindpere and art director Aleksander Rostov "were fired on false premises and the entire ordeal has been very traumatizing for both them and people close to them."
Luiga went on to say that, although he could not disclose all he knew because of nondisclosure agreements he had signed, he had shared the news of the devs' departure because "the fans had a right to know." Neither ZA/UM nor the developers themselves had made the news public.
Luiga worked at ZA/UM during its first year and then for a few months in 2021. Although he worked on Disco Elysium, he stressed that the three departed developers were more closely involved.
"I think already the fact that three prominent figures have been fired, while the fanbase wold expect them to go on, is vital information, and it hadn't been held a complete secret either," he said.
"It's disheartening — particularly for the ones that were more involved with DE, but also me."
Luiga went on to say the future of Disco Elysium was likely dim.
"I think ZA/UM Studio in its current form will not be developing the sequel," he said.
ZA/UM never officially confirmed it had begun work on a sequel to Disco Elysium, but Kurvitz had heavily implied a sequel would come down the pike. The studio is hiring for a sci-fi project, a description that could fit a Disco sequel.
When reached for comment on the alleged firings, ZA/UM said it had "nothing to add at this time."
This article was originally published on dbltap as Disco Elysium Leads 'Fired On False Premises' Per Developer.
