When Disco Elysium launched in 2019 to important and business acclaim, some stated it had the best writing ever in a online game. What’s gone on since between the individuals who made it, properly… you couldn’t make it up.
5 years later, lots of the creators of Disco Elysium have struck out on their very own, leaving authentic developer ZA/UM behind to both make religious successors or completely different video games totally. You’d suppose everybody could be completely satisfied getting on with the making of their new video games, however lawsuits (each resolved and some ongoing), authorized threats, and behind-the-scenes finger pointing have added a component of farce to proceedings.
Then final month, a whole of three studios every claiming to be carrying the Disco Elysium torch in a technique or one other popped up out of nowhere on the identical day. What are the possibilities?
Who’re the individuals behind these studios? And why, behind the scenes, are they at one another’s throats? What involvement does ZA/UM have, if any? And why is everybody speaking concerning the canceled Disco Elysium follow-up floating about on a USB stick?
It’s a complicated and messy scenario, one I’ve been attempting to wrap my head round for the final month. However now I consider I can provide useful solutions.
The foremost participant on this story is Argo Tuulik, one of many authentic writers on Disco Elysium and co-founder of latest studio Summer time Everlasting. Tuulik resigned from ZA/UM earlier this 12 months (Tuulik confirmed to IGN that he resigned, versus being fired or being made redundant as has been reported). He did so, he stated, earlier than a disciplinary listening to throughout which he anticipated to be terminated. Why? As a result of, he alleged, of statements he gave to the press about redundancies at ZA/UM that adopted the February cancelation of the standalone follow-up to Disco Elysium, codenamed X7. Tuulik was one of many key creatives behind X7 earlier than it fell by the wayside.
If he had survived that assembly, Tuulik suspected he would have been made redundant, he instructed IGN. “It was an ‘unemployed man strolling’-type of scenario both method,” he stated.
Enter Darkish Math Video games and Longdue Video games, two new London-based studios with former Disco Elysium employees every engaged on a completely different religious successor of their very own. Tech entrepreneur Riaz Moola, one other important participant on this story, based Longdue by way of his firm CoGrammar, and is an investor in Darkish Math, so has a stake in each corporations’ success.
IGN understands Tuulik and fellow Summer time Everlasting co-founder and former ZA/UM developer Dora Klindžić labored at each CoGrammar and Darkish Math this 12 months, however left every studio after a brief interval beneath a cloud. Within the case of CoGrammar, Tuulik resigned. Tuulik left Darkish Math after the corporate declined to resume his contract, IGN understands.
Darkish Math is helmed by Kaur Kender, an early investor in ZA/UM and government producer of Disco Elysium. In March 2023, a bitter authorized dispute between Kender and ZA/UM over possession of the coveted Disco Elysium IP was resolved, with a court docket ordering Kender to repay ZA/UM CEO Ilmar Kompus for authorized charges. Darkish Math’s recreation is known as XXX NIGHTSHIFT and, like Disco Elysium, is described as a ‘true detective RPG.’ It appears remarkably like Disco Elysium.
Longdue, nonetheless, hasn’t named its “new psychological RPG” or nearly all of the individuals making it. However it’s already embroiled in a confrontation with Tuulik that has spilled out into the general public area.
Occasions ramped up when Tuulik publicly revealed authorized motion towards him by ZA/UM, and towards he and Klindžić by Riaz Moola’s CoGrammar. On the latter, CoGrammar efficiently obtained an injunction within the Enterprise and Property courts of England and Wales on the premise of breach of contract, stopping Argo and Dora from engaged on something at Summer time Everlasting — Disco Elysium religious successor or in any other case — till April 2025.
Tuulik then accused ZA/UM of constructing “baseless” authorized threats towards him, and for “collaborating” with Moola to take him, Dora, Summer time Everlasting, and even Darkish Math on. Tuulik has denied any battle with Darkish Math.
“I by no means wished to make Disco once more however the absurdity of somebody fully unrelated to Disco being granted the safety of the excessive court docket of their religious successor pursuit isn’t misplaced on me,” Tuulik instructed IGN.
It’s price attempting to unpack all of this. So, what breach of contract is Tuulik speaking about with regards CoGrammar? In accordance with documentation reviewed by IGN, Tuulik served CoGrammar along with his discover of resignation on September 23, 2024, along with his final day on September 30. Tuulik was working for CoGrammar as a marketing consultant on Longdue’s recreation.
CoGrammar instructed IGN it provided to launch Tuulik and Klindžić from contractual restrictions that block the pair from working for an additional studio, and even considered one of their very own, for a six-month interval after leaving the corporate. Nevertheless, CoGrammar alledge, Tuulik and Klindžić declined to signal CoGrammar’s launch contract, which additionally included clauses that will have confirmed the pair did not nonetheless have IP belonging to the corporate, and a dedication to not speak about one another within the press (an Finish of Service, Non Communication, and Launch Of Portion of Restraint of Commerce contract).
Quickly after, as IGN has reported, Tuulik and Klindžić introduced Summer time Everlasting and revealed plans to develop a new recreation on the identical day Longdue and Darkish Math introduced their tasks.
CoGrammar / Longdue issued a assertion of its personal in response to Tuulik’s tweets concerning the court docket case. It’s reproduced in full under:
Following public feedback made by Argo Tuulik, we will verify that an unbiased choose has dominated in Longdue’s favor in a court docket listening to over a week in the past. Now we have tried to take care of this matter privately for the sake of everybody concerned, however given Argo’s public feedback we really feel it’s needed to reply to make clear some key details.
Argo Tuulik was a a part of Longdue’s staff within the early days of Longdue’s formation, in addition to beforehand Darkish Math. Nevertheless, as a studio, we’ve since grown in a route that didn’t align along with his method.
We’re a staff that values integrity and honoring agreements, and as such, we have been disenchanted to see Argo breach agreements we had in place after leaving Longdue. Longdue continued to make makes an attempt to settle issues amicably with Argo privately despite these breaches. These efforts have been repeatedly rebuffed, leaving Longdue with no different choice however to ask the courts to intervene. An unbiased choose has dominated in our favor.
Discovering ourselves on this place is disheartening. We didn’t wish to take authorized motion and we didn’t need this to turn out to be public for the sake of everybody concerned. Nevertheless, there are occasions when taking motion is critical to guard our work, the staff we’ve constructed, and the agreements we’ve made.
Our aim from the outset was to maneuver past the conflicts which have adopted the folks that labored on Disco Elysium since its launch by supporting and uplifting one another as a group of studios making nice RPGs. That is still the case and we hope to settle this matter amicably with Argo so that everybody can transfer ahead.Given Argo’s feedback, we want to make clear that ZA/UM was on no account concerned on this authorized motion. This authorized motion was taken due to agreements between Argo and Longdue that have been damaged by Argo. Any authorized dispute Argo could have with ZA/UM is a matter for these two events.
We respect the contributions of Argo throughout Longdue’s early levels, and we hope followers will proceed to assist all studios which were impressed by narrative-rich RPG video games comparable to Disco Elysium and Planescape Torment.
Thanks to everybody who has proven assist for Longdue. We’ll proceed to create a studio setting that fosters creativity, collaboration, and respect as we stay targeted on crafting impactful, significant RPGs for our gamers.
That’s Longdue / CoGrammar, however what about ZA/UM? Tuulik additionally made public a letter dated October 10 by attorneys representing ZA/UM, or, to offer it its full enterprise identify, Zaum Studio Restricted, that features a authorized criticism. It alleges breach of contract, breach of confidentiality, and copyright infringement. This isn’t a discover of a lawsuit, but it surely sounds extraordinarily critical. So, what’s all of it about?
A number of sources at Longdue / CoGrammar and Darkish Math, talking anonymously to guard their careers, have instructed IGN that Tuulik allegedly demoed the canceled Disco Elysium follow-up, codenamed X7, to employees by way of a USB stick containing a playable, 20-minute construct. Chatting with IGN, Tuulik denied the accusation, calling it “absurd.”
A ZA/UM consultant issued IGN with the next assertion:
ZA/UM’s solely communication with Mr. Tuulik has been a commonplace authorized discover — not a lawsuit and issued solely after third events alerted us — concerning the return and destruction of confidential recreation supplies. Whereas Mr. Tuulik was a important contributor, these supplies symbolize the collaborative work of many builders and weren’t approved for exterior use.
As if that wasn’t wild sufficient, this story solely will get weirder from right here. As I’ve talked about, Tuulik and Klindžić’s contract with Darkish Math, the place they have been recreation director and narrative director on XXX NIGHTSHIFT, wasn’t renewed, so each left the corporate and went on to work for CoGrammar. IGN has considered documentation dated July 2024 confirming the termination of the contracts “on account of inventive variations.” However why?
IGN can reveal that whereas at Darkish Math, Tuulik accused Kaur Kender of exhibiting bare pictures of Kender’s ex-wife to him and different employees on the studio. Tuulik confirmed to IGN he made this allegation. Nevertheless, Kender – and different Darkish Math employees IGN has spoken to – denied that Kender’s ex-wife appeared bare within the pictures. Reasonably, she was carrying a bikini in some and absolutely clothed in others.
However why do that within the first place? Sources say Kender allegedly wished the pictures of his ex-wife to behave as real-life inspirations for characters in XXX NIGHTSHIFT. Nevertheless, Tuulik alleged internally that the pictures included bare footage of Kender’s ex-wife, a collection of occasions that contributed to the tip of Tuulik and Klindžić’s time at Darkish Math.
Darkish Math issued IGN with the next assertion: “Darkish Math Video games won’t be commenting on the previous. We’re focusing our power and passions on the event of XXX Nightshift and stay up for sharing extra on the sport in the end.”
All this leaves these Disco Elysium religious successors in a precarious place. And I haven’t even talked about Purple Information, the studio arrange by the 2 foremost inventive forces behind Disco Elysium: lead author Robert Kurvitz and artwork director Aleksander Rostov. Each have been fired from ZA/UM in 2022 amid allegations of mismanagement and misconduct. Kurvitz and Rostov are reportedly making a new recreation of their very own at Purple Information, which is backed by Chinese language web firm NetEase.
As for Tuulik and Klindžić, they face a six-month wait till they’re legally allowed to work on Summer time Everlasting and its recreation. What’s clear is 2024 has been notably turbulent for the pair. They left three studios beneath lower than superb circumstances simply this 12 months alone, after simply a few months within the case of two. Tuulik, who former colleagues describe as massively gifted however at occasions tough to work with, pointed to PC Gamer’s reporting, which referred to as each he and Klindžić “considerate, skilled collaborators” throughout their time at ZA/UM.
In the meantime, the way forward for Disco Elysium remains to be up within the air. Rights holder ZA/UM has but to announce a new recreation within the collection, or any new recreation in any respect. Longdue has issued one piece of idea artwork for its religious successor. Darkish Math’s XXX NIGHTSHIFT has a trailer and screenshots, which makes it at the very least really feel tangible. Purple Information hasn’t stated a phrase all through all this.
Like Disco Elysium itself, these corporations are preventing to win the hearts and minds of gamers as behind-the-scenes drama spills out into the general public area. Maybe, given the chaotic scenes that adopted ZA/UM after Disco Elysium’s launch, issues have been at all times going to go this manner.
The query is, who will get Disco Elysium religious successor to market first? And after they do, will there be any group left to care?
Wesley is the UK Information Editor for IGN. Discover him on Twitter at @wyp100. You’ll be able to attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.