The Studio ZA / UM, developer of Disco Elysium, is currently looking for artists. The requirements? Love for science fiction, video games and space is mainly required.
Several works have already been published on the studio’s website, with various lists naming artistic and sci-fi elements in roles, as well as some bonuses. Of course, this has led observers to speculate that the studio’s next project will be science fiction.
As stated in the section Environment Concept Artist, ZA / UM is stating that it needs someone who “understands that there are more things in heaven and on earth than philosophy dreams of,” quoting Hamlet. They are looking for a highly creative head who can think outside the box.
It is therefore assumed that the game will have elements of science fiction, but the news does not end there: the next title of ZA / UM will still exist in the universe Disc Elysium. The title itself also didn’t shy away from fantastic elements within its 20th century-inspired premise, but in general, the afterlife has been kept to a minimum.
The main writer Robert Kurvitz revealed that the studio wants to share much more of the Disco Elysium universe, saying:
So far we have only managed to show a tiny and insignificant corner: the district of Martinaise in Revachol West, on Insulinde. I can’t say how all this is just introductory.
It seems unlikely that Studio ZA / UM is now going in a completely different direction than the open plans outlined by Kurvitz.
A likely scenario is that the next ZA / UM game will exist in the Disco Elysium universe but somewhere else futuristic. All of this, of course, is only speculative.
It would also appear that the studio’s next game was developed using Unreal Engine 5as opposed to the engine Unity used to create Disco Elysium. Only time will tell if it represents a significant change in the art style or the perspective of the study content.
