You’d Be Forgiven for Thinking This Disco Elysium Spiritual Successor From Some of the People Who Worked at ZA/UM Is Disco Elysium 2

Let’s begin with Darkish Math Video games. Based in 2023, Darkish Math describes itself as a “breakaway group” from the authentic growth workforce of Disco Elysium. It’s a group of 20 individuals, about half of whom “contributed” to “bringing the critically acclaimed hit Disco Elysium and Disco Elysium – The Last Minimize to life.”

Darkish Math’s sport is named XXX NIGHTSHIFT and, like Disco Elysium, is described as a ‘true detective RPG.’ Right here’s the official blurb:

Set 2086, you play a Patrol Op, Dinorah Katz, who’s stranded at a luxurious Ski resort in Antarctica. This authentic science-fiction setting lands you in a resort that shouldn’t exist with individuals that you simply shouldn’t know with the countless polar evening masking a large number of sins.

XXX NIGHTSHIFT will ship a deep single-player role-playing expertise with many instruments and layers of gameplay. A singular companion dynamic provides extra enjoyable and presents totally different paths to unravel instances. The modern and highly effective role-playing system respects your time and trusts your intelligence with seismic selections. It’s as much as you to determine how your story unfolds — and the way it ends.

Primarily based on its announcement trailer and screenshots, XXX NIGHTSHIFT appears remarkably just like Disco Elysium, even all the way down to the isometric perspective and dialogue textual content that strikes up the right-hand aspect of the display screen as the participant makes selections and hears voice actors convey a narrator and the protagonist’s inner monologue to life.

One of the 4 Darkish Math founders is artwork director Timo Albert, who was a movement graphic designer at ZA/UM from 2018 to October 2022. Albert commented: “Moreover to innovating the conventional RPG mechanics, we’ll convey one thing contemporary to the desk. You will notice. And of course, just a few much less phrases. And some extra bullets, maybe. In whole: lot extra enjoyable.”

Based on filings on Firms Home, Darkish Math’s energetic administrators embrace Heiti Kender, along with his brother, Kaur Kender, listed as a resigned director. Kaur Kender was an early investor in ZA/UM and govt 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 courtroom ordering Kender to repay ZA/UM CEO Ilmar Kompus for authorized charges.

Now, let’s transfer on to Longdue Video games. It stated it’s making a “new psychological RPG… set in a sport world conceived by the leads of the now canceled Disco Elysium sequel.” Others engaged on this untitled Disco Elysium religious successor labored at the likes of Bungie, Rockstar, and Sure, Your Graces developer Courageous At Night time.

Longdue, backed by tech investor Riaz Moola, stated it has a “deal with creating psychologically deep, narrative-first experiences” and desires to turn out to be “a significant and constant voice in the isometric cRPG area.”

“With the fifth anniversary of Disco Elysium on the horizon, Longdue is proud to announce its formation as a brand new impartial studio that has raised seed funding to create an RPG that can proceed Disco Elysium’s award-winning legacy and symbolize a daring new creative endeavor that goals to trailblaze in the narrative-first cRPG area,” Longdue stated in its word to press.

Longdue didn’t identify its sport (all we have now for now could be a solitary piece of idea artwork, under), however it did say it options what it calls a “psychogeographic” RPG mechanic “the place each determination reshapes each the world and the characters that inhabit it.” “On this expertise,” Longdue defined, “the traces between the thoughts and the surroundings blur, colliding and remodeling with every alternative, main gamers by an ever-evolving narrative panorama.”

Right here’s the official blurb on Longdue’s sport:

Longdue’s debut RPG explores the delicate interaction between the acutely aware and unconscious, the seen and unseen. Set in a world the place selections ripple between the character’s psyche and surroundings, gamers will navigate a continually shifting panorama, formed by each inner and exterior forces.

Longdue talked about only one of its builders in its press launch: narrative director Grant Roberts. Roberts stated: “At Longdue, we’re impressed by a long time of traditional RPGs, from Ultima and Wizardry, by Fallout and Planescape, to the justifiably adored Disco Elysium.

“We’re excited to proceed that legacy with one other narrative-first, psychological RPG, the place the interaction between inside worlds and exterior landscapes is the beating coronary heart of the expertise. We’re constructing a world-class workforce for a world-class sport that can inform a world-class story, and we will not wait to indicate you extra.”

Londue isn’t saying anybody else working at the firm proper now, “however is wanting ahead to speaking extra about the studio and the sport in the future,” a consultant instructed IGN.

It’s value noting that neither Robert Kurvitz, the lead author and designer of Disco Elysium and founding member of ZA/UM, nor Aleksander Rostov, who was artwork director on Disco Elysium, are concerned with both studio. Each had been fired from ZA/UM in 2022 amid allegations of mismanagement and misconduct. Kurvitz and Rostov are reportedly making a brand new sport of their very own at a studio referred to as Crimson Information, which is backed by Chinese language web firm NetEase.

As for ZA/UM, it reportedly canceled a standalone enlargement for Disco Elysium again in February, leaving a number of workers members at danger of shedding their jobs. Whereas an official Disco Elysium 2 appears as unlikely now because it did when ZA/UM first fell aside, it’s clear that there are lots of who’re eager to maintain the dream alive.

Wesley is the UK Information Editor for IGN. Discover him on Twitter at @wyp100. You possibly can attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.