After several outlets reported that Disco Elysium developer ZA/UM was planning to lay off several staff members, the company has now confirmed that they will indeed be laying off staff. These reports stated that the company planned to fire a quarter of the staff, which will affect around 24 employees overall.
In an interview with Insider Gaming, the undisclosed number of lay-offs at the studio were addressed by stating:
As with all studios, we adapt the size of our team to the work underway, growing when we start a new project and shrinking if one is cancelled. It is always hard to lose talented colleagues, and we thank those leaving for their many contributions to ZA/UM.
This news follows additional reports that the studio had canceled a planned expansion for Disco Elysium, codenamed X7. According to the publication VGSI, this expansion was “one to two years away from completion” and was one of three big projects to be nixed by ZA/UM. These layoffs are expected to only affect the team involved in the X7 expansion. These other projects included a potential sequel to Disco Elysium, as well as a new sci-fi IP. Two projects remain in development at the studio.
Additionally, several employees have criticized the company for having “turned ZA/UM into the very thing that Disco Elysium was against.” This has included allegations of hostility toward staff, as well as devaluing talent as they frequently hire new staff.
Back in 2022, three employees left the company, with Lead designer Robert Kurvitz and art director Aleksander Rostov later claiming they were forced out. In the aftermath of these events, Kurvitz filed a wrongful termination suit against the company. After a separate claim filed against them was dropped, the studio heads stated they would “address a series of baseless allegations from former employees.”
Another annonamous employee stated:
They always act like there’s an enemy. be it the old Disco team, the press, or even people working there.
With another stating:
Brilliant people work there and I want only the best for them. But I hope the best is somewhere else.
Given that, in a list of recent RPGs, Disco Elysium would be among my favorites this news is upsetting to hear. There have also been over 6,000 layoffs in the industry since the start of 2024, a number that looks to grow and outpace the number of layoffs in 2023, which was close to 10,500.
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