Disco Elysium has a spiritual successor that matches its level and is very similar to Dungeons & Dragons

Disco Elysium is one of the most revolutionary and groundbreaking video games of the last decade. Saying this is nothing strange or new: it has been said since before its release. It is such a special and unique game that it is inevitable that it causes a stir and many people want to imitate it. Even if so far there have hardly been any imitators. Although there is a logical explanation for that: making a video game takes time, now more than ever, and time has had to be allowed for the imitators of this great success to arrive. But they are starting to come. With more or […]

Disco Elysium is one of the most revolutionary and groundbreaking video games of the last decade. Saying this is nothing strange or new: it has been said since before its release. It is such a special and unique game that it is inevitable that it causes a stir and many people want to imitate it. Even if so far there have hardly been any imitators. Although there is a logical explanation for that: making a video game takes time, now more than ever, and time has to be allowed for the imitators of this great success to arrive.

But they are starting to arrive. With more or less grace, understanding better or worse what made the original game by ZA/UM special, many are inspired by it to create their own RPG. And perhaps the most notable of the first wave of games clearly inspired by Disco Elysium, ironically, has no connection to anyone who worked on it. Its name is Esoteric Ebb and, even more surprisingly, it is the work of a single developer: Christoffer Bodegård.

A game with the essence of Disco Elysium

Esoteric Ebb puts us in a very uncomfortable situation: we are a cleric who wakes up in the morgue after what we are convinced has been our death. We cannot take off our helmet, so we cannot know what our face looks like. And worst of all, we have no exact memories of what has happened.

Fortunately, we soon discovered a few things. To begin with, we might not be a cleric: it is perfectly possible that we are a rogue, a warrior, or a wizard. And that will be decided by what we ourselves choose to be through conversations. Also, our attributes speak to us. Strength, constitution, dexterity, charisma, wisdom, and intelligence will constantly intervene to give us advice and guide us, not always in the most accurate way possible, depending on the numbers we have in each of them. This adds a very interesting twist to Disco Elysium by associating it with the logic of Dungeons & Dragons.

But what is our mission? To discover why and who was behind the explosion of a tea room. And if possible, to find out why we appeared dead in the sea before being rescued by anonymous fishermen. We will have to do all of this within a very specific time limit: five days. Why? Because in five days, the first elections in the history of the city will take place, and such a serious situation cannot be left unresolved before the election results.

Being able to focus on the investigation case or get involved in the political life of the city, being able to support any of the political parties —which represent socialist, liberal, monarchical positions and, justly, also the possibility of being chosen as an all-powerful wizard king—, how much we get involved and to what extent is up to us. If we want to know more about our character, the world, and how they will evolve, it is in our hands, but we can also ignore it and focus on the investigation case. Something for which we will have the assistance of a goblin who will try to help us get through these five overwhelming days.

With a more cartoonish artistic style and less baroque writing than Disco Elysium, but equally brilliant, Esoteric Ebb stands out for knowing how to capture the spirit of the ZA/UM game while creating something unique with it. Creating a game with a strong personality of its own.

With its release scheduled for March 3, 2026, this could be one of the big surprises of the year. One of those games that redefines the path of upcoming RPGs, demonstrating that what Disco Elysium achieved was not a fluke. That it can be repeated. But it requires curiosity and interest and a desire to do something different with the elements that made the original game great. Because Esoteric Ebb, if it proves anything, is that the formula of Disco Elysium is not exhausted.

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The studio behind Disco Elysium will release a temporary demo of its next game in the coming days

ZA/UM, the studio behind the acclaimed RPG Disco Elysium, has announced its next project titled Zero Parades, a spy game scheduled for release in 2026. Although a specific date has not yet been set, the developers have decided to offer players an early glimpse through a free demo that will be available from February 23 to March 16, coinciding with the Steam Next Fest. Although no one from the original studio remains, it remains to be seen what it is about. The demo will allow users to try two missions and explore facets of the intriguing world […]

Although no one from the original cast remains, we need to see what it’s about

The demo will allow users to try two missions and explore facets of the intriguing game world, which promises to follow a narrative structure similar to that of Disco Elysium, where every decision made by the player will influence the outcome of the story. Zero Parades will focus on a brilliant and tormented worker who must complete his final mission, facing influential NPC contacts, misleading dialogues, and characters with hidden motivations.

However, it is important to note that the team behind Zero Parades does not include the original creators of Disco Elysium. Labor tensions and conflicts over creative control between these developers and ZA/UM led the authors of Disco Elysium to part ways with the studio to found new companies, such as Red Info and Longdue Games. This split has raised questions about the creative direction of the new title and its ability to capture the essence that made Disco Elysium a phenomenon in the industry.

Despite these challenges, ZA/UM continues to move forward with Zero Parades, presenting a 15-minute gameplay video on YouTube that highlights some of the game’s mechanics. Players can expect encounters with “extravagant and questionable” characters in an environment that promises to be both surreal and intriguing, as they prepare to delve into a world full of complex decisions in a game that seeks to recapture the magic of its predecessor, albeit without the original talent at the helm.

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Disco Elysium has so much text that the text software couldn't contain it

Noclip has begun to release a documentary series dedicated to Disco Elysium, whose deep dive into the creation process is capturing the attention of the game’s fans. The third episode of this series meticulously analyzes the writing process, while the previous episodes explored the founding of the ZA/UM collective and the evolution of the Elysium setting, partly originated from the tabletop role-playing game and Robert Kurvitz’s novel Sacred and Terrible Air. A game that technology could not manage Helen Hindpere, writer of the original game and lead writer of the Final Cut version, […]

Noclip has begun to publish a documentary series dedicated to Disco Elysium, whose deep dive into the creation process is capturing the attention of the game’s fans. The third episode of this series meticulously analyzes the writing process, while the previous episodes explored the foundation of the ZA/UM collective and the evolution of the Elysium setting, partly originated from the tabletop role-playing game and Robert Kurvitz’s novel Sacred and Terrible Air.

A game that technology could not manage

Helen Hindpere, writer of the original game and lead writer of the Final Cut version, highlights that the writing process was exceptionally prolific, which created complications in editing. Hindpere explains that, despite the quality of the content, the amount of dialogue exceeded what the Articy software could handle efficiently. “We had never had the problem of writing too much,” she mentioned, noting that in its early days, the team’s concern was to write enough. However, the challenge transformed into finding time to edit such a rich text loaded with deep themes.

For his part, Märten Rattasepp, another of the writers, noted that developing characters took an unusually long time, with some being written in a month or two, an uncommon approach in RPG development. “No one else writes things that take so long. You need to finish in three days,” he stated, illustrating the team’s dedication to the project.

The Noclip series promises to be a fundamental experience for those interested in video game development and creative writing, showcasing how meticulous attention to detail and ambitious writing can result in a critical masterpiece like Disco Elysium.

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The creator of Disco Elysium wants to make a video game about the worst part of humanity

The creators of Disco Elysium have left their positions at ZA/UM “involuntarily,” following a takeover by the investor board. This unexpected change has been accompanied by accusations and lawsuits for inappropriate conduct that resulted in the cancellation of several side projects, including one directed by Robert Kurvitz, the lead writer of Disco Elysium. Despite these difficulties, Kurvitz has revealed that his passion for exploring the dark aspects of humanity remains intact, and he plans to develop a new game that delves into the descent of a “successful” character into […]

The creators of Disco Elysium have left their positions at ZA/UM “involuntarily,” following a takeover by the investment board. This unexpected change has been accompanied by accusations and lawsuits for inappropriate conduct that resulted in the cancellation of several side projects, including one directed by Robert Kurvitz, the lead writer of Disco Elysium. Despite these challenges, Kurvitz has revealed that his passion for exploring the dark aspects of humanity remains intact, and he plans to develop a new game that delves into the descent of a “successful” character into failure and suffering.

We thought that was Disco Elysium

As part of the G-Star 2025 event, Kurvitz participated in a talk about storytelling in video games, where he highlighted his bleak vision for his upcoming project. Although details about the game are still scarce and it is in an early stage of development, it seems that the themes of decay and emotional vulnerability that characterized Disco Elysium will be taken to an even rawer and more pessimistic level.

The author described writing as “a very miserable art,” reflecting on how his own anger and sadness were fundamental to the narrative of Disco Elysium. “I had to put political anguish and my own existence into the game,” he stated, highlighting the personal effort required each day to continue with the project. This personal approach intervenes in the treatment of emotional and absurd themes, creating an intense connection with the players.

In 2022, Kurvitz founded a new studio called Red Info along with the lead artist of Disco Elysium, Aleksander Rostov, with financial support from NetEase. As more information about their upcoming title is awaited, fans of his work remain hopeful that the talent and darkness of his narrative will be reflected in this new adventure.

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The creator of Disco Elysium is clear: the first Fallout is unique

The independent publisher Verso Books has recently released Everything to Play For: How Videogames are Changing the World, a work by Marijam Did. To promote her book, Did has been conducting live streams with prominent video game designers, including a recent talk with Robert Kurvitz, director of Disco Elysium, where they explored themes of politics and art while playing the classic title Fallout. Kurvitz, a fan of Fallout, but even more of Fallout 2, a declared admirer of the first Fallout, highlighted innovative narrative elements of the title, such as character creation and the use of the ‘narrative skeleton’ from the […]

Kurvitz, fan of Fallout, but even more fans of Fallout 2

Kurvitz, a declared admirer of the first Fallout, highlighted innovative narrative elements of the title, such as character creation and the use of the ‘narrative skeleton’ from the early moments of the game. Alluding to Karl Marx’s perspective on the series, Kurvitz confidently suggested that the thinker would prefer Fallout 2 for its focus on economy and trade, suggesting that the first game feels almost biblical in its depiction of the apocalypse.

However, it wasn’t all academic analysis. During the broadcast, Kurvitz expressed his appreciation for the more playful aspects, describing Fallout as a Gesamtkunstwerk, a total work of art, and enjoying the amusing sounds of violence in the game. This lighter approach was amplified by his comment that Fallout is not as cerebral as many believe, a contrast he accompanied with a touch of humor by wearing cat ears on his headset.

On another front, it has been reported that Kurvitz and two former members of ZA/UM have founded a new studio called Red Info, amidst a legal battle over the rights to Disco Elysium. Meanwhile, ZA/UM continues to face criticism for marketing promotional products of Disco Elysium while navigating these legal controversies.

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Disco Elysium was going to have an expansion, now it has a staff cut

Disco Elysium was supposed to have an expansion, but now it’s facing layoffs due to the numerous project cancellations at the studio.

Disco Elysium was the 2019 GOTY. And for good reasons. It is the most innovative western RPG of the last decade, a prodigy in terms of art, narrative and design, and it remains an unmatched video game. It is also true that, since its release, everything we have heard from its developers, ZA/UM, has not been good news. And it seems that, in fact, things have gotten worse.

According to Sports Illustrated, ZA/UM has canceled an expansion of Disco Elysium, codenamed X7. However, they have learned that this would be the third project they have paused or indefinitely canceled since the game’s release. A sequel to the original game was canceled in 2022 and a new science fiction IP was indefinitely paused in 2023. Due to this cancellation, there are now 24 employees at ZA/UM at risk of redundancy, which means their jobs could disappear at any time.

This will lead to a restructuring, as stated by the study, to support its two projects still in development. With codenames C4 and M0. Something that has been questioned, given that there have already been several layoffs in the past of key individuals, such as all the people involved in the key positions of the original game’s production.

Considering that the current CEO of ZA/UM is not the same as when Disco Elysium was released and that the franchise IP was taken away from its creators, it is doubtful that this will end well. Or as stated by the lead writer Dora Klindžić, who joined ZA/UM after the new CEOs Ilmar Kompus and Tõnis Haavel came to power, “it was like being born in 90s Yugoslavia: you missed the party and now there’s only bloodshed left”.

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