author: Zuzanna Domeradzka
Standalone Expansion to Disco Elysium Reportedly Binned. ZA/UM Hasn't Dodged Layoffs
The unannounced standalone addition to Disco Elysium was reportedly going to be deleted. Studio ZA/UM is also reportedly facing layoffs.
The year 2024 will undoubtedly be remembered in the industry as a period of mass layoffs and cancelled games. The next studio, which was allegedly to fall victim to this fate, is the Estonian ZA/UM, specifically one of its British branches.
Expansion in the bin, layoffs in the company
According to GLHF agency sources, the project with the working name X7 was canceled. It was supposed to be a stand-alone addition to the instant classic, Disco Elysium released in 2019. ZA/UM's current president, Ed Tomaszewski, allegedly stated that X7 was a year or two away from completion, so it could have been at a fairly advanced stage of development.
Unfortunately, cancelling the project comes with unpleasant consequences. Members of the team responsible for the failed expansion will most likely lose their jobs at ZA/UM, but also those who were not directly overseeing this game. As reported by GLHF, in total about 24 people are at risk of losing their jobs, which constitutes nearly 25% of the entire studio.
The Swedish agency was to receive a letter sent to ZA/UM employees by the studio's CEO, Ilmar Kompus:
We are approaching this sensitive issue with the utmost care and respect. We will be initiating a formal redundancy consultation procedure with employees of Zaum Studio Limited who are at risk of redundancy in accordance with UK law. [...] During this transition period, let's maintain professionalism and support each other, upholding our studio values.
"The transition period" that Kompus mentions, of course, refers to the situation related to layoffs, but also to the redirection of all the studio's resources to projects that have not been cancelled.
What else is left?
GLHF reports that in addition to the stand-alone expansion for Disco Elysium, two other games were reportedly canceled in recent years. This allegedly included the sequel to the studio's famous RPG. Rumors that the studio is creating a continuation of Disco, as well as other projects, have been appearing on the Internet for several years.
Currently, ZA/UM -- at least according to GLHF -- is only working on two productions, and their codenames are C4 and M0. This second one may be related to Disco Elysium (a spin-off?).
Poor organization and toxic atmosphere in ZA/UM
It's worth noting that the difficult situation in the studio could have been influenced by a previous scandal, which you have probably have heard about. This is a quite complicated matter, related to mutual lawsuits and accusations of members of the organization. A great video on this topic was once featured on the People Make Games YouTube channel (see below).
Interestingly, the toxic atmosphere at ZA/UM studio, which was a key part of the scandal, is reportedly still an issue. According to anonymous sources (via GLHF), women aren't treated equally there compared to other employees. Also, the management is said to be running the company poorly, acting as if there's some enemy in the form of the old DE team, the press, or the staff itself. One can only speculate whether this is true -- however, it's not excluded that we will soon learn more about this from the members of the ZA/UM team themselves.
