It’s been almost two months since ZA/UM released its second game Zero Parades: For Dead Spies (and obviously the first after years of controversy. Unfortunately for the studio’s workers, the game doesn’t seem to have sold well enough, as more than 30 developers are either laid off or at risk of being fired.
“Today we share some difficult news. Even though Zero Parades: For Dead Spies was critically acclaimed, its commercial performance did not allow us to maintain a studio of our current size,” read a press release from ZA/UM. “We have issued layoff or risk notices affecting up to 32 of our colleagues across all departments within the ZA/UM studio. Their work has made a lasting difference and left its mark on Zero Parades: For Dead Spies and the studio as a whole.”
— ZA/UM Studio (@zaumstudio.bsky.social) July 17, 2026 at 5:55 p.m.
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According to the message, ZA/UM leaders have “continued to consult and work with representatives of the ZA/UM Workers’ Alliance.” In case you need a refresher, this Workers’ Alliance was formed last October, making it the first recognized gaming union in the UK gaming industry. At the time of the announcement, there were apparently “nearly 100” employees at the studio, meaning this latest round of layoffs is emptying out about a third of the studio.
This isn’t the first time layoffs have taken place, many former ZA/UM developers are going to start their own studios and create their own spiritual successors to Disco Elysium, such as Tangerine Antarctic (formerly XXX Nightshift), Hopetown, and Red Rooster. None of them have managed to be released yet, with varying degrees of publicly available material for all three games.
We’ve never reviewed Zero Parades, but Edwin wrote a great little article if you’re looking for thoughts on it.
