Disco Elysium developer ZA/UM has introduced layoffs affecting up (*32*) 32 employees simply two months after launching Zero Parades: For Useless Spies.
The UK-based studio printed an announcement relating to the adjustments on its X/Twitter account. It says that, regardless of releasing its newest recreation in Could (*32*) “vital acclaim, its industrial efficiency has not enabled us (*32*) maintain a studio of our present measurement.”
“We’ve got served redundancy or at-risk notices impacting up (*32*) 32 of our colleagues throughout all departments at ZA/UM Studio,” the message stated. “Their work has made a long-lasting distinction and left its mark on Zero Parades: For Useless Spies, and the studio as a complete.”
— ZA/UM Studio (@studiozaum) July 17, 2026
ZA/UM stated it should proceed (*32*) “seek the advice of and work with” members of its Employees’ Alliance union all through the “troublesome course of.” The message added that the layoffs will change “the form of ZA/UM, however not its function.”
“Our creative requirements stay unchanged: we’ll persist,” it continued. “To anybody at present hiring, please take into account the colleagues leaving ZA/UM.
The 2020s have been tough for ZA/UM. Bother really started in early October 2022, when a number of key builders – together with author and designer Robert Kurvitz, author Helen Hindpere, and artwork and design lead Aleksander Rostov – have been stated (*32*) have left the studio involuntarily. Simply weeks later, it was revealed that Kurvitz had launched a lawsuit in opposition to the corporate, with each he and Rostov alleging Ilmar Kompus and Tõnis Haavel of Tütreke OÜ had obtained management of ZA/UM “by fraud.” ZA/UM denied these claims whereas launching their very own accusations in an announcement despatched (*32*) Gamesindustry.biz.
As issues unwound behind the scenes, a sequence of spinoff studios made up of former ZA/UM builders have emerged. Darkish Math Video games and Longdue Video games introduced their initiatives, XXX Nightshift and Hopetown, in October 2024, with Summer time Everlasting revealing itself shortly after.
With years of controversy below its belt, right this moment’s layoffs aren’t ZA/UM’s first. In 2024, it was reported that round 24 workers had been impacted by layoffs. The identical replace introduced phrase {that a} standalone Disco Elysium growth had been canceled.
Disco Elysium gained ZA/UM a number of classes at The Recreation Awards 2019 and earned a 9.6/10 evaluation from IGN on the time of its launch. Whereas Zero Parades: For Useless Spies did not appear (*32*) stay up (*32*) the excessive bar set by its predecessor, it nonetheless boasts an 83 from critics on Metacritic following its Could 21, 2026, launch for PC and PS5. For extra on ZA/UM, you may learn IGN’s breakdown for the complete wild story behind what’s occurred on the studio.
Michael Cripe is a contract author with IGN. He is finest identified for his work at websites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Make certain (*32*) give him a observe on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).