Controversy-laiden Disco Elysium and Zero Parades studio ZA/UM to lay off large chunk of staff once more
ZA/UM, the studio behind Disco Elysium and its spiritual successor Zero Parades: For Dead Spies, has announced it will lay off up to 32 staff "across all departments". The studio said the redundancies were driven by Zero Parades' weak commercial performance, despite the game receiving critical acclaim, and that its current size was no longer sustainable. The cuts mark another difficult chapter for a studio already notorious for years of bitter public and legal disputes since Disco Elysium's acclaimed 2019 release.
ZA/UM last reported around 100 employees as of October 2025, when staff formed the UK's first recognised video game developers' union, represented by the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain, and the company says it has consulted with the ZA/UM Workers' Alliance throughout the redundancy process. The announcement has drawn heavy criticism on social media given the studio's turbulent history, which includes fraud accusations from former Disco Elysium creatives Robert Kurvitz and Aleksander Rostov against management figures Ilmar Kompus and Tõnis Haavel, countered by allegations of misconduct against the fired staff. Ongoing legal battles, extensive documentary reporting, and the departure of former developers to at least four new studios have kept the saga in the spotlight.
In short
- ZA/UM to cut up to 32 jobs across all departments
- Blamed on weak Zero Parades sales despite critical acclaim
- Latest blow for a studio dogged by years of legal disputes
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Video game development carries significant commercial risk, and Zero Parades' failure to achieve financial viability despite critical acclaim has rendered the studio's current size of approximately 100 staff unsustainable. Maintaining excessive headcount when revenue cannot support it jeopardises all remaining jobs and the company's survival. The studio has consulted with the newly unionised workforce throughout the process. Market forces sometimes dictate difficult personnel decisions regardless of creative quality.
The case against
ZA/UM's history of public disputes, legal battles, fraud allegations, and management credibility issues makes this announcement deeply troubling. Staff unionised only a year ago specifically to address workplace concerns, and large layoffs announced so quickly thereafter raise legitimate questions about whether this reflects genuine financial crisis or management's attempt to circumvent union leverage. The studio had industry backing and international recognition; sudden unsustainability claims warrant transparent financial disclosure rather than acceptance at face value.
Explained simply
ZA/UM is a video game developer known for Disco Elysium, an acclaimed role-playing game released in 2019. The studio subsequently developed Zero Parades: For Dead Spies, another narrative-driven game that received positive critical reception.
The studio has become known for serious disputes since Disco Elysium's launch. Former creative leaders made accusations of fraud against management, who countered with allegations of misconduct, leading to ongoing legal battles that have drawn public attention.
In October 2025, the studio's approximately 100 staff voted to form the UK's first recognised video game developers' union. The ongoing disputes have led to departures of key figures who have since founded or joined other game studios.
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