The highly influential Disco Elysium left an indelible mark on the RPG genre. But the story behind its creators is as intricate and dramatic as the game itself. Following a significant studio split, its visionary developers have scattered across new ventures, each carrying a fragment of that unique spark. We delve into the diverse projects currently in development, exploring the future of a truly exceptional creative legacy.
The Genesis of Genius, The Seeds of Discord
Before its lauded 2019 release, Disco Elysium was a passion project nurtured by the Estonian collective ZA/UM, spearheaded by creative director Robert Kurvitz. His vision, alongside artists like Alexander Rostov and writers like Helen Hindpere, culminated in a game that garnered critical acclaim and a devoted fanbase. Yet, this tale of triumph took a sharp turn in late 2021, when Kurvitz, Rostov, and Hindpere abruptly departed ZA/UM. The official narrative eventually revealed a contentious dispute, alleging that CEO and investor Ilmar Kompus had effectively “captured” the studio by acquiring a controlling stake using the company`s own funds. This corporate upheaval led to lawsuits, internal restructuring, and a scattering of the original talent, giving rise to several new studios, each now forging their own path in the wake of Disco Elysium`s profound success.
ZA/UM Reimagined: The Structured World of Zero Parades
Despite losing key creative figures, ZA/UM itself pressed onward, now under the leadership of President Edward Tomaszewski and retaining talent like executive producer Tõnis Haavel, animator Eduardo Rubio, and narrative designer Justin Keenan. With greater resources and a notably more structured, results-oriented development approach compared to Kurvitz`s initial “cultural grouping” philosophy, ZA/UM is developing Zero Parades, slated for a 2026 release. This project seems to aim closest to Disco Elysium`s original spirit, albeit with a fresh narrative.
About Zero Parades:
- Protagonist: Players will embody Herschel Wilk, a female spy whose touch turns everything to ash. Haunted by past failures and burdened by a potential curse, she`s on a mysterious assignment, seeking a chance at redemption. The premise evokes a certain espionage drama, reminiscent perhaps of spy thrillers focused on disgraced agents.
- Gameplay: Maintaining the isometric perspective and beloved skill-check mechanics, Zero Parades introduces a unique “pressure system.” This mechanic directly impacts Herschel`s physical and psychological state, with player choices influencing skill development and potentially incurring penalties for actions that contradict her core ideology. It promises a deep, consequence-laden role-playing experience.
Antarctic Noir: Dark Math Games` Tangerine Antarctic
Emerging from the ZA/UM diaspora, Dark Math Games is a smaller studio co-founded by Timo Albert (motion designer from Disco Elysium) and backed by Kaur Kender. With approximately half of its 20 developers hailing from the original ZA/UM team, this studio is taking a distinct turn into sci-fi territory with Tangerine Antarctic.
About Tangerine Antarctic:
- Setting: The year is 2086, and the stage is set at a remote ski resort in Antarctica. Players assume the role of a patrol operative investigating a crime alongside a partner, with the promise that how you spend your “polar nights”—solving murders, breaking hearts, or simply idling—is entirely up to you.
- Artistic Evolution: Initially sporting a Disco Elysium-esque isometric look, the developers made a bold shift to a third-person RPG perspective, now fully embracing the “Tangerine Antarctic” hotel setting. While diverging visually, the game promises an intricately woven, non-linear detective plot and an unconventional role-playing system, aiming for a lighter, “more fun” experience than Harry Du Bois`s notoriously bleak journey.
The Psychogeographic Depths: Longdue`s Ambitious Narrative CRPG
A fascinating entry into this new wave of RPGs comes from Longdue, founded by Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 tech entrepreneur Riaz Moola. This studio has attracted some notable talent from the original Disco Elysium team, including writer Martin Luiga and gameplay mechanics expert Piotr Sobolevski, alongside revered industry names like The Witcher 3 composer Paweł Błaszczak and Kentucky Route Zero co-author Ben Babbitt. Funded partially through successful crowdfunding campaigns on Kickstarter and IndieGoGo, their unnamed project is slated for a 2028 release.
About Longdue`s RPG:
- Genre & Premise: Envisioned as an isometric CRPG, it promises a rich, branching narrative, complex characters, and an unpredictable world. Players will step into the shoes of a “rogue journalist”—a chaotic, self-destructive provocateur tasked with uncovering hidden truths and dismantling fragile systems in a mining town teetering between collapse and rebirth.
- Unique Mechanic: The headline feature is its designation as a “psychogeographic CRPG,” implying that the environment itself will dynamically shift and react to player choices, weaving the narrative and the world into an inseparable, evolving tapestry.
A Cooperative Dawn? Summer Eternal`s Vision
Founded by former Disco Elysium writer Argo Tuulik, Summer Eternal represents perhaps the most ideologically distinct venture. Tuulik, who faced a legal injunction preventing active development until April 1, 2025, due to his previous entanglement with Longdue, is now moving forward with a team including writers Dora Klinjic and Olga Moskvina, and artists Anastasia Ivanova and Michael Osvell, all veterans of ZA/UM.
About Summer Eternal:
- Philosophy: Tuulik envisions Summer Eternal as a truly cooperative structure, partnered with Slovenia`s Institute for Economic Democracy, where “every worker is a board member.” While this horizontal economic model is currently a manifesto (Tuulik remains the sole director and 100% owner of Summer Eternal Ltd), it signifies a profound commitment to a different development paradigm.
- Status: Given the recent lifting of the injunction, Summer Eternal is still in its nascent stages, with an RPG confirmed to be in development, but details and a release date are yet to be announced. This studio embodies the hope for a more egalitarian approach to game development.
The Original Trio`s Next Chapter: Red Info`s Enigma
Perhaps the most anticipated—and certainly the most mysterious—of these new ventures is Red Info, co-founded in March 2025 by the original Disco Elysium architects: Robert Kurvitz, Alexander Rostov, and Helen Hindpere. After the tumultuous split from ZA/UM, Kurvitz found himself in a complex legal battle, having lost intellectual property rights to the original game. This necessitates an entirely new creative direction for his new studio.
About Red Info:
- Authenticity: Many fans consider Red Info to be the most “authentic” continuation of Disco Elysium`s unique creative spirit, given the reunion of its core visionaries.
- Funding: They have secured investment from Chinese giant NetEase, sharing the ownership package with the founding trio.
- Status: Currently, details on Red Info`s projects are scarce and primarily based on rumors, as the studio`s figures have yet to grant official interviews. Their future remains a compelling blank slate, pregnant with possibility and the weight of immense expectation.
The Legacy Continues, Fragmented and Flourishing
The saga of Disco Elysium`s creators is a testament to the powerful, sometimes messy, nature of artistic vision colliding with corporate realities. From the structured ambition of ZA/UM`s Zero Parades to the sci-fi escapism of Dark Math Games` Tangerine Antarctic, the immersive psychogeography of Longdue`s CRPG, the cooperative idealism of Summer Eternal, and the tantalizing mystery of Red Info, the creative spirit that birthed Revachol is now dispersed yet vibrant. Fans of the original can look forward to a diverse array of narrative-driven experiences, each carrying a unique thread of that extraordinary legacy forward, proving that even a fractured masterpiece can inspire a multitude of new worlds.
Nathan Blackwood