After six years, ZA/UM, the studio behind Disco Elysium, has officially announced its next game—an espionage RPG with deep psychological elements. However, this new project comes amid lingering controversy, as none of Disco Elysium’s original creators are involved following a highly publicized fallout with the studio’s investors.
Titled PROJECT [C4], the game places players in the role of a covert agent working for a global superpower. Missions involve Hitman-like clandestine operations, navigating a web of secrets, and making high-stake choices that could lead to death or exposure.
ZA/UM describes the gameplay as “a mix of tense dice rolls and weighty dialogue decisions, emphasizing the feeling of failure as an integral part of the experience.” Fans of Disco Elysium can find this a welcoming mechanic.
Players or ‘Operants’ as the game calls them, will also have the ability to use psychoactive substances to erase, alter, or manipulate violent events, reinforcing the game’s themes of deception and control.
According to the game’s description, it is not trying to be the next James Bond. Instead, PROJECT [C4] draws inspiration from the gritty, morally gray narratives of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Oldboy.
There will be themes of shifting allegiances, betrayal, and psychological warfare that will define its story, but ZA/UM is aware of keeping it apart from traditional spy thrillers.
Despite PROJECT [C4]’s announcement, the absence of Disco Elysium’s key creative minds, such as the game’s main writer, Robert Kurvitz—casts a shadow over the project. Kurvitz and the rest of his team were instrumental in shaping Disco Elysium’s world and narrative, and were ousted from ZA/UM following disputes with the studio’s investors.
This shift has sparked criticism online, with fans demanding ZA/UM to give the Disco Elysium rights back to its creators. The criticisms are evident in PROJECT [C4]’s YouTube Comments and ZA/UM's other social media posts.
As PROJECT [C4] moves forward, questions remain about whether ZA/UM can capture the same magic without its founding members—or if the studio has become exactly what Disco Elysium once critiqued.