In celebration of Disco Elysium’s five-year anniversary, two separate studios, each made up of people who worked for developer ZA/UM, announced that they were both creating their own spiritual successor.
Disco Elysium is a 2019 narrative RPG game developed and published by the controversial ZA/UM studio. Gameplay focuses on navigating dialogue trees rather than combat, with each of the 24 skills representing a different aspect of the amnesiac detective’s abilities and thoughts. The player can support or suppress their ideologies while working on the story. Disco Elysium is considered by some to be one of the best video games ever made.
The game was a huge success, winning numerous game of the year awards and selling millions of copies. A TV series adaptation deal followed, as did the release of an expanded version of the game with full voice acting and novel content subtitled The Final Cut. A sequel seemed all but guaranteed, but after celebrity departures and the subsequent messy legal battles that brought ZA/UM to its knees, what could have turned out to be a sequel to Disco Elysium was canceled.
Now two novel London studios have emerged from the chaos: Dark Math Games and Longdue Games. Each of them made references to both Disco Elysium and ZA/UM, announcing not only their existence, but also their upcoming games.
Dark Math Games
Founded in 2023, Dark Math describes itself as a “breakaway group” from the original Disco Elysium development team. This is a group of 20 people, about half of whom “contributed” to “the creation of the critically acclaimed hit Disco Elysium and Disco Elysium – The Final Cut.”
Dark Math is called XXX NIGHTSHIFT and, like Disco Elysium, is described as a “true detective RPG.” Here is the official note:
In the 2086 set, you will play as Patrol Op, Dinorah Katz, who is stuck in a luxury ski resort in Antarctica. In this original sci-fi setting, you find yourself in a resort that shouldn’t exist, with people you shouldn’t know, during an endless polar night hiding a multitude of sins.
XXX NIGHTSHIFT will deliver a deep single-player role-playing experience with multiple tools and layers of gameplay. Unique companion dynamics add more fun and offer different paths to solving cases. The groundbreaking and powerful role-playing system respects your time and trusts your intelligence with seismic choices. You decide how your story will unfold and how it will end.
Based on the announcement trailer and screenshots, XXX NIGHTSHIFT looks remarkably similar to Disco Elysium, even from an isometric perspective and dialogue text that slides up on the right side of the screen as the player makes choices and hears the voice actors bring in the narrator and the Inner Monologue hero to life.
One of the four founders of Dark Math is art director Timo Albert, who was a motion graphics designer at ZA/UM from 2018 to October 2022. Albert commented: “In addition to innovating on traditional RPG mechanics, we will be bringing something fresh to the table. You’ll see. And of course, a few words less. And maybe a few more bullets. All in all: a lot more fun.”
According to documents filed with Companies House, Dark Math’s dynamic directors include Heiti Kender, while his brother Kaur Kender is listed as a resigned director. Kaur Kender was ZA/UM’s first investor and executive producer of Disco Elysium. In March 2023, a bitter legal dispute between Kender and ZA/UM over ownership of the coveted Disco Elysium intellectual property was resolved, with the court ordering Kender to reimburse ZA/UM CEO Ilmar Kompus for legal fees.
Longdue Games
Longdue Games is said to be developing “a new psychological RPG… set in a gaming world invented by the main characters of the now-canceled sequel Disco Elysium.” The team includes individuals from companies like Bungie, Rockstar, and Yes, Your Graces, Brave At Night.
Longdue, backed by tech investor Riaz Moola, aims to create psychologically deep narrative-driven experiences and become a significant voice in the isometric role-playing game space.
With Longdue’s focus on continuing the legacy of Disco Elysium, the studio is poised to lead the way in narrative-driven RPGs.
In addition, Longdue’s upcoming game will feature “psychogeographic” RPG mechanics, where each decision influences both the world and its inhabitants, creating an ever-evolving narrative landscape.
Longdue’s debut RPG explores the fragile interaction between the conscious and subconscious, the observable and the hidden. Set in a world where choices are made between the character’s psyche and the environment, players will navigate an ever-changing landscape shaped by both internal and external forces.
Narrative director Grant Roberts expressed enthusiasm for creating a narrative-driven, psychological RPG that delves into the interplay between internal and external worlds to create a unique gaming experience.
While Longdue has not revealed additional team members, the studio looks forward to sharing more about their game in the future.
FAQs
Q: What is the main premise of Disco Elysium?
A: Disco Elysium is a narrative RPG game where players navigate dialogue trees rather than engage in combat, shaping the story through choices and character ideologies.
Q: Who are the founding members of Dark Math Games?
A: Art director Timo Albert and the Kender brothers, Heiti and Kaur, are among the founding members of Dark Math Games.
Q: What sets Longdue Games apart in the RPG space?
A: Longdue Games focuses on creating psychologically deep narrative-driven experiences with a unique focus on the interplay between the conscious and subconscious realms.
Credit: herosweb.com
