A spiritual successor to Disco Elysium is now in development from the leads of its cancelled sequel.
Longdue is a new independent studio comprising staff from Disco Elysium studio ZA/UM, as well as developers from the likes of Bungie and Rockstar. Eurogamer understands Robert Kurvitz and Aleksander Rostov are not involved.
The studio’s first game will involve a “groundbreaking ‘psychogeographic RPG’ mechanic”, where decisions made in the narrative will reshape the world and its characters.
Further, it will draw inspiration from both Disco Elysium and Planescape: Torment, as well as other classic RPGs, with a narrative-first approach fuelled by player choice.
“At Longdue, we’re inspired by decades of classic RPGs, from Ultima and Wizardry, through Fallout and Planescape, to the justifiably adored Disco Elysium,” said narrative director Grant Roberts. “We’re excited to continue that legacy with another narrative-first, psychological RPG, where the interplay between inner worlds and external landscapes is the beating heart of the experience. We’re building a world-class team for a world-class game that will tell a world-class story, and we can’t wait to show you more.”
“We are excited to back the work of an incredible team of creative talent and support the development of a new type of narrative-first video game experience and associated technology to improve the creation of these games across the video game industry,” said private investor Riaz Moola.
No further details on the game have been provided, in terms of release date or platforms, beyond the artwork above.
Longdue has made this announcement ahead of Disco Elysium’s fifth anniversary next week.
Further, it comes alongside a rival game from other former developers. XXX Nightshift will be the first project from Dark Math Games, a studio describing itself as a “breakaway group from the original development team of Disco Elysium”.
This seeming rivalry is likely the result of unrest at the studio following the release of Disco Elysium, including a lawsuit, reports of toxic behaviour and IP theft, and layoffs after a standalone expansion was reportedly cancelled.