Disco Elysium designer, artist and writer say they left developer ZA/UM

Three of the key designers behind the highly regarded noir role-playing video game Disco Elysium have confirmed that they have left the game’s developer, ZA/UM.

Robert Kurvitz (designer and lead writer), Aleksander Rostov (art and design leader) and Helen Hindpere (writer) made a short statement on Rostov’s Twitter, saying simply: “We confirm that we are no longer at the studio.”

After Martin Luiga’s Medium posting, the trio used Medium to announce their separation. Disco Elysium Editor. Luiga said that “neither Kurvitz, Hindpere nor Rostov are working there since the end of last year and their leaving the company was involuntary.” The three creatives did not back up the latter claim, nor say anything about the circumstances surrounding their departure.

For its part, ZA/UM provided a statement to IGN in response to Luiga’s post, seeking to highlight the group effort behind the game and its next project.

As with any other videogame, the creation of Disco Elysium was and still is a collective effort, with every team member’s contribution essential and valued as part of a greater whole. At this time, we have no further comment to make other than the ZA/UM creative team’s focus remains on the development of our next project, and we are excited to share more news on this with you all soon.

There is speculation that ZA/UM’s next project will be a sequel to Disco Elysium. The recruiter is active in recruiting, mostly from the U.K.

Disco Elysium’s oil-painted artwork, eccentric characters, and strong philosophical and political themes earned it many plaudits, including Best Narrative, Best Independent Game and Best Role-Playing Game at the 2019 Game Awards.