ZA/UM just handed out redundancy notices to up to 32 staff across every department, weeks after Zero Parades: For Dead Spies dropped to critical raves but apparently not enough wallets.

The studio's own statement pins the cuts on commercial performance that couldn't sustain its roughly 100-person headcount, even after the UK arm formed the ZA/UM Workers' Alliance last October — the first recognized game dev union in the country. This isn't their first round; 2024 already saw about two dozen let go and a spin-off cancelled amid crunch complaints.

Fans aren't buying the "we'll persist" corporate line. Social media is full of sympathy for the workers and fresh reminders of the Disco Elysium ownership fights, alleged misconduct claims, and how an anti-capitalist masterpiece keeps delivering capitalist layoffs. The brand's poisoned, the numbers didn't lie, and the pattern is exhausting.