Quick Facts
- Affected staff: Up to 32 employees.
- Reason for layoffs: Poor commercial performance of Zero Parades: For Dead Spies.
- Union status: Affected developers are part of the ZA/UM Workers’ Alliance.
ZA/UM, the studio previously responsible for Disco Elysium, has confirmed it is downsizing. The studio announced on Bluesky that it has issued termination or at-risk notices to up to 32 developers. According to the studio, the layoffs are a direct result of the weak commercial performance of its recent espionage RPG, Zero Parades: For Dead Spies.
While Zero Parades received positive critical reception—including a 9/10 review from Destructoid—the studio noted that the game’s sales have not enabled them to sustain the studio's current headcount. Developers impacted by this decision are members of the ZA/UM Workers’ Alliance, which provides some protection for the staff involved.
The Context of ZA/UM's Recent History
The studio has faced a turbulent few years. Following the release of Disco Elysium, several key founders and creators, including head writer Robert Kurvitz, co-writer Helen Hindpere, and head artist Martin Rostov, were removed from the company. This history created a difficult environment for subsequent projects.
Zero Parades: For Dead Spies was the studio's attempt to follow up on its previous success. However, industry observers note that the title struggled to gain traction with players due to the controversy surrounding the departure of the original Disco Elysium creative team. Even with the inclusion of artwork from Anton Vil, who worked on the original Disco Elysium "thought cabinet," the game failed to achieve mainstream commercial success.
This latest round of cuts follows previous staff reductions at the studio. Earlier reports indicated that ZA/UM had already laid off a significant percentage of its staff following the cancellation of a project referred to as Project [C4], which had been teased earlier in 2025.