In late 2019, developer/publisher Studio ZA/UM released Disco Elysium. At the time of its original release, the game was praised by gamers and critics alike and quickly became an independent darling. The game's original release on PC earned a 91 Metacritic score with subsequent releases on other consoles never going below an 86 score. The PC version of The Final Cut currently holds a 97 Metacritic score and a sequel has been put into development. Unfortunately, a dark cloud now looms over Disco Elysium and Studio ZA/UM.
The trouble with Studio ZA/UM began when several key personnel who worked on Disco Elysium were fired from the studio last year, which became publicly known on October 1st, 2022. That personnel included but was not limited to game director Robert Kurvitz, lead writer Helen Hindpere, and art director Aleksander Rostov. Less than a month after their removal became public knowledge, Robert Kurvitz filed a lawsuit against Studio ZA/UM in an Estonian court through a company known as Telomer which he is now a part of. The details of the lawsuit, however, were not disclosed in the initial filing beyond an objective to obtain and review certain documents, leaving many to speculate on just what caused the fallout between Kurvitz and the studio. Both sides were quiet on the issue until very recently.
The Studio and Former Developers Launch Their Accusations
On November 8th, 2022, following the filing of the Disco Elysium lawsuit, Studio ZA/UM CEO Ilmar Kompus made some alarming accusations against Robert Kruvitz in particular and revealed why the company opted to have him removed. According to the CEO, Kruvitz created a toxic work environment and had a history of belittling women and his co-workers in general. Furthermore, the CEO alleged that Kurvitz was attempting to sell himself to other game companies in violation of his contract and was even conspiring to take Disco Elysium IP from the company. Despite repeated attempts to bring him back into the fold, the decision was eventually made to let Kruvitz go. According to Kompus, their removal was carried out and demanded by Disco Elysium executive producer Kaur Kender, who also happened to be Kruvitz direct manager at the time.
"They treated their co-workers very badly. Despite talking to them repeatedly, things did not improve. Therefore, the company was forced to fire them. Robert [Kurvitz] is said to have been known for belittling women and co-workers in the past, but this was previously unknown to the company. It would be very short-sighted of a growing international company to tolerate such behaviour."
"They went to sell themselves secretly and in violation of existing contracts to other well-known large game industry companies, but no one was interested. That might have made them angry."
Other sites in contact with employees at Studio ZA/UM were hesitant to speak out against Kruvitz on the matter and opted to remain anonymous. These sources described the situation as "not black and white" but wouldn't give away further details. Other sources likewise painted both Kruvitz and Kompus in a negative light and described the whole situation as "CEO corporate scheming on one side, a toxic auteur on the other" but did not fault one over the other.
Now, normally this is where these particular stories tend to end. Former employees sue company owners for alleged wrongful firing and possible royalty withholding, and the company in question tries to paint the former employees in a negative light. Following the resignation of former Telltale Games CEO Kevin Bruner, for example, the former executive sued the company over breach of contract before the story faded from the public spotlight. Lawsuits like this get filed, but generally, these sorts of things are settled out of court and the exact details of the settlement are sealed. Lawsuits can be very expensive for both sides and settling outside of court is often the smarter and cheaper option for all parties involved.
Following Ilmar Kompus' interview, however, Robert Kruvitz and Disco Elysium art director Aleksander Rostov spoke out on the matter and made some very serious accusations of their own. According to the two, they own a minority shareholding in a company known as Zaum Studio OÜ which, according to the two former developers, owns everything related to Disco Elysium. The majority of the company's shares were originally held by an Estonian businessman and investor named Margus Linnamäe who provided the initial capital for the game. Eventually, Linnamäe was bought out by another minority shareholder in the form of another Estonian company known as Tütreke OÜ in 2021. The company itself is said to be a vehicle for CEO Ilmar Kompus and another individual known as Tõnis Haave.
According to Kruvitz and Rostov, once the two took over the environment of the company changed quite dramatically. The former developers allege that they were quickly excluded from the daily operations of the company and were fired when they tried to obtain documents and financial data. Furthermore, the two alleged that Tütreke OÜ may have taken over Zaum Studio OÜ through illegal means. Specifically, they allege that Tütreke OÜ may have been stealing funds from Zaum Studio OÜ and using that money to buy out Margus Linnamäe's share in the company. It further alleges that this conspiracy was perpetrated by Tõnis Haave who had previously been convicted of defrauding investors in 2007 and that the two former developers were considering their legal options against Kompus and Haave. It is worth noting that Kurvitz and Rostov did not provide any proof of their accusations in their response beyond Haave's previous conviction nor did they address the allegations Kompus made against them.
What Happens Now?
The ongoing legal battle between former developers Robert Kurvitz and Aleksander Rostov against the current owners of Disco Elysium is just getting started, and it's difficult to say what comes next. Both parties have publicly made some alarming accusations against one another, though such tactics are not uncommon when lawsuits involve public figures. When Scarlett Johansson sued Disney over Black Widow, for example, the Mouse House was not kind to the actress before the two settled out of court. What's slightly alarming about some of these accusations in particular, however, is that they can potentially lead to slander and/or libel lawsuits depending on what direction the parties in the lawsuit decide to take.
At this moment, it's probably safe to assume that the filing to "obtain information and review documents" is part of Kurvitz's and Rostov's plan to prove the allegations they made against Ilmar Kompus and Tõnis Haav. The first hearing for the case is currently set to take place on November 28, 2022, which may reveal more on the matter. It's highly unlikely, however, that they will be able to obtain these documents on the first hearing. Court cases like this, regardless of where they take place, often take a very long time to resolve, so it is very likely that fans may not get the whole story on the matter for some time. Furthermore, it is not clear how the lawsuit will affect the development of Disco Elysium 2 if it will at all. As of this writing Studio ZA/UM has not responded to Kurvitz's and Rostov's allegations.
Disco Elysium is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Sources: Game Industry.Biz, Tech Space News, Estonian Express, Medium