As a result of ZA/UM’s bout of layoffs back in February, development of a Disco Elysium spin-off, codenamed X7, was shelved for good. It wasn’t that far either, supposedly with only about two years left in the development cycle.
In a recent PC Gamer report, the now shelved spin-off would’ve been dubbed the “most hardcore Disco since Disco.” Lead writer Dora Klindžić shed some light on what the game would’ve been, about how it would’ve “advanced the story, the emotional threads, and gameplay elements all at once to truly evolve the genre of psychological RPG.”
This wasn’t the first time the rug was pulled from under staff, Disco Elysium’s sequel was canned following the layoffs in February, according to a GLHF (and subsequently confirmed by VG247). Following Robert Kurvitz, lead artist Aleksander Rostov, and Final Cut lead writer Helen Hindpere leaving the company in 2021, things changed for the worst in terms of leadership and direction.
It isn’t crystal clear why X7 was scrapped, but it is obvious that ZA/UM isn’t having the best time with legal issues still hanging above the studio’s head.
