ZA/UM, the studio behind Disco Elysium, has laid off 32 employees across all departments following the release of its latest title, Zero Parades: For Dead Spies. The studio said the game's commercial performance "has not enabled us to sustain a studio of our current size."
In a statement on social media, ZA/UM acknowledged the cuts while attempting to reassure remaining staff and fans. "This changes the shape of ZA/UM, but not its purpose. Our artistic standards remain unchanged: we will persist."
The studio consulted representatives of the ZA/UM Workers' Alliance during the redundancy process. The alliance, which represents UK staff under the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB), was formed last year to give employees a collective voice in studio decisions. Marketing manager Poppy Ingham previously told GamesIndustry.biz that the union's goal was to "try and have the studio work as a collaborative project between the workers and management."
A Pattern of Contractions
The layoffs mark the second significant reduction at ZA/UM in recent years. In 2024, approximately 20 employees were affected after the studio cancelled three projects, including a sequel and expansion to Disco Elysium. Studio president Ed Tomaszewski attributed that round to overextension following Disco Elysium's critical and commercial success.
"After the success of Disco Elysium and the energy that came from it, not only did the team think that they could do anything, but they thought they could do everything and all at once," Tomaszewski said at the time. "This was a painful lesson for the studio to learn."
The cancellation of the Disco Elysium expansion was the specific trigger for the 2024 layoffs. Tomaszewski explained that after the first two cancellations, staff were reassigned to other projects, but the expansion cancellation left the studio unable to sustain its full headcount.
Zero Parades: For Dead Spies, released earlier this year, was intended to establish ZA/UM as a multi-franchise studio beyond Disco Elysium. The layoffs suggest the game did not generate enough revenue to support the studio's ambitions at its current scale.
What Remains Unclear
ZA/UM has not disclosed specific sales figures for Zero Parades: For Dead Spies or detailed how the remaining team will be structured. The studio's statement that its "artistic standards remain unchanged" suggests continued development activity, but the reduced headcount will inevitably narrow the scope of future projects.
The Workers' Alliance, while consulted on the redundancy process, has not publicly commented on the specific terms of the layoffs or whether further action is planned. For the studio's remaining employees and the fans who connected with Disco Elysium's singular vision, the question is whether ZA/UM can sustain its creative identity with a significantly smaller team.
