ZA/UM Studio, the developer behind the critically acclaimed Disco Elysium and its spiritual successor Zero Parades: For Dead Spies, has announced it will be laying off up to 32 employees across all departments. The studio stated that the commercial performance of Zero Parades: For Dead Spies was insufficient to maintain its current workforce size.
This marks another period of staff reduction for ZA/UM, which previously laid off approximately 24 employees in 2024 following the reported cancellation of a Disco Elysium spin-off. At that time, reports indicated a workplace environment "rife with crunch, burnout and conflict."
ZA/UM confirmed it has consulted with representatives of the ZA/UM Workers' Alliance, the studio's recognized trade union, throughout the redundancy process. The studio asserted that while the layoffs will change its structure, its artistic purpose and standards remain "unchained."
The news arrives amidst a complex and contentious history for ZA/UM, stemming from disputes over the ownership of the Disco Elysium intellectual property. The game's director, Robert Kurvitz, and art director, Aleksander Rostov, accused ZA/UM management of fraudulently acquiring control of the studio and its IP, leading to their dismissal. ZA/UM's management has denied these allegations, counter-claiming issues such as a "toxic work environment" and "attempts to illegally sell" company IP.
These disputes have been extensively documented and have led to ongoing legal battles and public statements from both parties. The fallout has also seen former Disco Elysium developers establish new studios to create spiritual successors, which have themselves become entangled in further legal challenges.
Despite the studio's internal turmoil and the controversy surrounding its management, Zero Parades: For Dead Spies, released just two months prior to this announcement, has received strong critical praise. Reviews have highlighted its "bristling reactivity, woven into gorgeous prose" and described it as "a narrative distillation of the familiar into a messy, painful journey."
Eurogamer extends its best wishes to all employees impacted by these layoffs.