Update 10/03/22: ZA/UM issued the following statement: "As with any video game, the development of Disco Elysium is a collective effort in which the contributions of all team members are essential and appreciated as part of a larger whole. At this time, I have nothing further to comment other than to say that the creative team at ZA/UM is focused on the development of their next project." We look forward to sharing further news on this matter with you soon.

Original text follows.

Martin Ruiga, founding member of Studio ZA/UM and editor of Disco Elysium, which topped PC Gamer's 2019 Game of the Year and Top 100 charts, via a post on Medium, "ZA/UM Culture Association dissolved" (first spotted on Twitter by independent journalist Nibel).

Ruiga defines ZA/UM's "cultural association" as distinct from the company, claiming that Disco Elysium's lead designer Robert Kulwitz, writer Helen Hindpere, and art director Alexander Rostov were forced to leave the company at the end of 2021 allegedly left.

On October 2, Rostov tweeted that he, Kulwitz, and Hindpere were no longer at the studio and signed the message as coming from all three.

Ruiga claimed that ZA/UM as a cultural project "no longer represents the founding principles." Luiga believes that ZA/UM was a success, explaining that "most of the mistakes we made were accidental, determined by the socio-cultural conditions into which we were thrown."

In his response to comments on Medium (open in new tab), Ruiga seems to blame ZA/UM investors for the change in the character of ZA/UM and the departure of key members. Ruiga also admits that he does not know if ZA/UM could have raised money without the contributions of those investors. 'For a while it was beautiful,' he said. I really want to thank all the people who supported us."

Luiga writes and signs from "Tallinn Psychiatric Inpatient Treatment Center, Ward IX." Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, was the first place where ZA/UM was combined. Whether the signature of this location is a genuine indication of Ruiga's current condition or an extremely dark joke is not clear to me. I sincerely hope that Martin Ruiga is safe and well.

Luiga, Kulwitz, Hindpere, and Rostov were all members of the punk collective that eventually became Studio ZA/UM. Kulwitz and Hindpere, in particular, drove the game's script, and Rostov's impressionistic art style remains one of the game's hallmarks.

As for the sequel, the job description states that it is for "people who like science fiction and space," but Luiga does not seem as worried as one might expect. In another tweet, he wrote, "I think the sequel thing is actually sweet enough.

We have reached out to Studio ZA/UM for comment and will update this article when we hear back.