Disco Elysium Developer Faces Layoffs Following Game Struggles

WHO:

Kotaku - Three of ZA/UM's founders, Robert Kurvitz, Aleksander Rostov, and Helen Hindpere, left the company "involuntarily" in 2022.

Kotaku - ZA/UM Studio, a video game development studio known for Disco Elysium.

Polygon.com - ZA/UM Workers' Alliance, the studio's labor union.

WHAT:

IGN - The layoffs at ZA/UM affect up to 32 staff members, just two months after the launch of Zero Parades: For Dead Spies.

Polygon.com - Zero Parades: For Dead Spies was released on May 21, 2026, and received an 83 from critics on Metacritic.

Kotaku - ZA/UM announced layoffs affecting up to 32 employees across all departments.

Polygon.com - The studio served redundancy and at-risk notices to 32 employees.

Polygon.com - Zero Parades: For Dead Spies, the follow-up to Disco Elysium, was released in May and received critical acclaim but failed to perform commercially.

WHERE:

Kotaku - The announcement was made on social media by ZA/UM Studio.

WHEN:

Polygon.com - A PlayStation 5 version of Zero Parades is supposedly set to release sometime later this year.

Polygon.com - ZA/UM previously conducted layoffs in 2024, affecting up to 24 workers.

WHY:

Kotaku - ZA/UM stated that the financial success of Zero Parades did not follow its critical acclaim, leading to the layoffs.

Kotaku - The studio stated that the commercial performance of Zero Parades did not enable them to sustain their current size.

Polygon.com - The studio's financial struggles followed the critical acclaim of Zero Parades.

HOW:

IGN - ZA/UM plans to continue consulting and working with members of its Workers' Alliance union throughout the layoff process.

Kotaku - ZA/UM is working with its labor union to navigate the layoff process.

Polygon.com - The studio consulted with representatives from the ZA/UM Workers' Alliance during the layoff process.

(UPDATED July 18, 2026 22:12 UTC)

ZA/UM has announced layoffs affecting up to 32 staff members, just two months after the release of their game, Zero Parades: For Dead Spies, which launched on May 21, 2026, and received an impressive 83 from critics on Metacritic. The company cited that despite the game's critical acclaim, it did not achieve the financial success they had hoped for, prompting these difficult decisions. In response to the layoffs, ZA/UM plans to consult and collaborate with members of its Workers' Alliance union throughout the process.

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(UPDATED July 18, 2026 16:17 UTC)

ZA/UM Studio, known for the acclaimed game Disco Elysium, has announced layoffs that will affect up to 32 employees across all departments, citing financial struggles following the commercial performance of their recent title, Zero Parades: For Dead Spies. The studio made the announcement on social media and is working closely with its labor union, the ZA/UM Workers' Alliance, to navigate the layoff process. A PlayStation 5 version of Zero Parades is expected to release later this year, despite the studio's previous layoffs in 2024 that impacted 24 workers.