Take one have a look at Zero Parades: For Useless Spies, the upcoming RPG from ZA/UM, and you may instantly see the similarities between it and the studio’s earlier sport, Disco Elysium. It’s an isometric sport with a putting artwork fashion, that includes dialogue-heavy gameplay the place conversations are displayed vertically on the right-hand facet of the display.
Take a more in-depth look and there are much more similarities. There’s a “Conditioning” system that replicates most of the features of Disco Elysium’s distinctive Thought Cupboard. Its story goals to be deeply political and introspective. After which there’s the talents system, which manifests as a sentient internal monologue, commenting in your decisions and the world round you.
For some Disco Elysium followers, this overlap might really feel uneasy. In 2022, sport director Robert Kurvitz and artwork director Aleksander Rostov – creatives key to the look, really feel, and imaginative and prescient of the celebrated RPG – had been amongst numerous workers who left the studio in an “involuntary” method. ZA/UM claimed they had been fired for misconduct, whereas Kurvitz and Rostov accused the corporate’s majority shareholders of fraud. Many followers consider these fired to be victims of company conspiracy. Those self same followers might now be involved to see the studio constructing a Disco Elysium successor based mostly on such related design foundations with out the involvement of these unique creatives.
In a current interview, IGN mentioned these considerations with Jim Ashilevi, author and VO director at ZA/UM, and requested why the studio didn’t take into account discovering a brand new course for Zero Parades.
“I believe it might have made sense for us to go in a totally completely different course if the complete group was comprised of recent expertise,” Ashilevi mentioned. “However since such numerous the important thing gamers that constructed Disco Elysium are right here to construct Zero Parades, it simply did not make sense for us to simply disregard that a part of our expertise as novice sport makers and begin studying new methods of telling tales.”
ZA/UM’s head of studio, Allen Murray, estimates that round 35% of the studio’s present workers roster is made up of people that labored on both the unique model of Disco Elysium or the expanded “Ultimate Minimize” launch. The studio’s complete workers numbers round 90.
“We’re nonetheless the identical folks,” Ashilevi continued. “We nonetheless have the identical pursuits. The stuff that pursuits us on the earth of video video games, but in addition in different media – in movie and literature and theater – that hasn’t modified. Hopefully it has developed, however I believe we’re nonetheless principally the identical folks.
“We’re simply going by our intestine, principally, and we’re following our personal obsessions,” he mentioned. “And a number of that was current in Disco Elysium. It will likely be current in Zero Parades as properly, largely because of the truth that these are the identical individuals who had been there to construct that cool world.”
In a earlier interview with members of ZA/UM, which passed off simply previous to Gamescom 2025, IGN requested Ashilevi and lead technical artist Nicolas Pirot how they felt about followers who could also be feeling cautious a couple of new ZA/UM RPG following the departures of Kurvitz, Rostov, and others.
“I perceive why some folks may need reservations,” mentioned Pirot. “It is lower than me to inform them what to assume or what to expertise. I believe what we are attempting to do is inform an unbelievable story. And I believe all we are able to do is hope that, when Zero Parades is prepared, that folks prefer it sufficient to take part and to see who we’re as a gaggle.”
“We’re right here to write down extra tales,” Ashilevi added. “That is all we’re right here for. And if that upsets folks or makes them really feel cautious, truthful. However there’s a new sport popping out quickly and I hope you test it out. And in the event you do not prefer it, that is high quality. That is fully high quality.”
ZA/UM intends to launch Zero Parades this yr. An espionage RPG themed round energy struggles and failure, the group hopes it will stand distinct from Disco Elysium with out “absolutely re-inventing the wheel.”
Matt Purslow is IGN’s Government Editor of Options.
