The studio that (technically) made Disco Elysium just dropped a trailer for its new game

Source: Engadget

Trailer Release

ZA/UM Studio, the company behind Disco Elysium, just dropped a trailer for its upcoming RPG Zero Parades: For Dead Spies. This is the first real footage we are getting of the game, following a mysterious teaser released last year when it was still referred to as Project C4.

Game Overview

Zero Parades is a highly stylized sci‑fi RPG in the vein of Disco Elysium, featuring a scrapbook‑esque visual style. Described as a “psychedelic espionage RPG,” the title suggests a strong emphasis on spycraft, and the trailer shows a visually striking world.

Release Details

• Platform: PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG) – available on May 21.
• Console: PS5 – slated for release later in the year.
• Price: $40.

Background and Controversy

The game arrives amid ongoing turmoil at ZA/UM Studio. In 2022, the core team that created Disco Elysium—creator Robert Kurvitz, art director Aleksander Rostov, and writer Helen Hindpere—were dismissed by the new executive suite after accusations of misconduct and alleged intellectual‑property theft. Kurvitz is also the author of the novel on which Disco Elysium is based.

Lawsuits were filed (see Eurogamer), and Kurvitz and Rostov later founded their own studio (reported by PC Gamer). They denied the IP‑theft allegations and claimed they were terminated due to an investigation into the takeover of ZA/UM by Estonian businessmen Ilmar Kompus and Tõnis Haavel. Haavel has a prior conviction for investment fraud (Postimees) and has been accused of fostering a hostile work environment for women.

A former writer for Disco Elysium told PC Gamer:

“I know at least five women who’ve left or been made to leave the studio since Disco’s launch, naming Tõnis Haavel as a major factor. There are zero women in creative leadership and very few women in leadership positions in general.”
— PC Gamer article

Related Projects

Other former ZA/UM employees formed Longdue, a studio developing Hopetown, a spiritual successor to Disco Elysium (Engadget). Updates on that project have been scarce.

With just two weeks until the PC launch, Zero Parades: For Dead Spies will be the first test of ZA/UM’s creative momentum following the recent controversies.