Simultaneous announcement of three spiritual successors to Disco Elysium.
Three — yes, three — spiritual successors to Disco Elysium are in development by former members of the ZA/UM team.
On Friday, three distinct projects were announced that aim to continue the legacy of Disco Elysium, one of the most critically acclaimed video games of all time. The first to reveal their game was Dark Math Games, with XXX Nightshift, a title that closely resembles the style of Disco Elysium in the early trailers. This studio, formed by a group that separated from the original team, is led by Timo Albert, a former graphic designer from ZA/UM, and includes 20 members. Their proposal features a unique companion dynamic, a deep RPG system, and various ways to solve a mystery in a ski resort in Antarctica in 2086.
The second project is being developed by Longdue, a small team of about twelve members, some of whom were also part of the original title. Although they do not yet have a defined name, it has been announced that it will utilize an innovative mechanic called "psychogeographical RPG," which will allow player decisions to constantly influence an evolving world. Among those involved in this project are designer Robert Kurvitz and art director Aleksander Rostov, who left ZA/UM involuntarily in 2022.
Finally, Summer Eternal acted with complete transparency by announcing the participation of several writers and artists from Disco Elysium, such as Argo Tuulik and Olga Moskvina. This team aims to continue the creative and technical work that began with the original game, emphasizing their intent to maintain full control over their creation process. Tuulik stated that they want to start from scratch but with a commitment not to repeat the mistakes of the past, alluding to the tumultuous history following the success of Disco Elysium.
Although ZA/UM continues to work on other projects, internal conflicts and a complicated legal battle have hindered the progress of a proper sequel to Disco Elysium. On the other hand, Summer Eternal has begun to share a manifesto outlining their vision for the video game industry, addressing concerns about generative artificial intelligence and capitalism, noting that their true motivation for creating video games is a sense of vocation.
