A brand-new game from the studio that made Disco Elysium was one of the biggest surprise announcements at Opening Night Live for Gamescom 2025, and there’s good reason for that. Sporting a 91 on Metacritic with tons of great reviews, Disco Elysium is one of the most beloved games of the last few years. A new game from that studio is significant. Unfortunately, there’s a major caveat.
Zero Parades, a brand-new game from noted developer ZA/UM, got its first trailer at Gamescom. It only got a one-minute teaser video that showcased some of the story and the graphics, but that was all it needed to drum up excitement, thanks to Geoff Kighley’s introduction highlighting Disco Elysium.
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The only problem is that while it does come from ZA/UM, Zero Parades will basically be taking nothing from the 2019 game. The developers who worked on Disco Elysium are no longer with the studio, so it means a little less that it’s coming from ZA/UM.
Keighley did allude to the changes that ZA/UM underwent, saying, “Now onto a studio known for its storytelling. Back in 2019, the groundbreaking RPG Disco Elysium took home four Game Awards. Since then, ZA/UM… has been through a host of changes, but tonight, six years later, those who now make up the studio are now ready to give the world the very first look at their next CRPG.”
“Those who make up the studio now” is critical because it’s a host of people who weren’t involved with Disco Elysium. The allure of a game from the same development team has been lost with a closer look. Zero Parades is launching on Steam, but it’s currently not available anywhere else. You can wishlist it now.
It’s a clever marketing trick from Keighley to highlight Disco Elysium and the team behind it, but unfortunately, it won’t hold water, especially when players do any sort of digging. Still, it’s the first game from this developer, be they the same exact people or not, since the 2019 hit, so there is some cause for intrigue.
What do you think? Is Zero Parades going to live up to Disco Elysium’s reputation, or will the studio turnover come back to haunt it? Let us know in the comments below!
