Disco Elysium Studio Teases its Next Project, and It's Not Disco Elysium 2

Today, Disco Elysium developer ZA/UM has offered conscionable the tiniest tease of its adjacent project: a crippled focused connected the themes of spy and espionage presently being referred to arsenic "Project C4".

As portion of the reveal, we got a look astatine a abbreviated teaser trailer, and were briefed connected a fewer of the large ideas we tin expect successful C4...as good arsenic what we should NOT expect. For one, we were told C4 is not Disco Elysium 2, but alternatively takes spot successful a wholly archetypal caller world. We besides were told that it's explicitly not a 007-style spy tale. Instead, it's inspired by the novels of John le Carré, particularly the Smiley vs. Karla trilogy (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Honourable Schoolboy, and Smiley's People). It besides includes elements of psychadelic sci-fi, borrowing from authors similar Usula LeGuin and Philip K. Dick, and enactment sequences inspired by Park Chan-wook.

Project C4, we're told, volition beryllium astir the struggles of spies down the scenes, espionage, allegiances, betrayals...and failure. Failure specifically volition play a cardinal relation successful Project C4 due to the fact that it sounds similar it volition bring backmost 1 cardinal constituent from Disco Elysium: the "fail forward" philosophy. Like successful Disco, nonaccomplishment successful C4 volition not effect successful a reset oregon reload of the game. Instead, the communicative volition determination on, accounting for your failure. That means surviving with the consequences of your decisions, specified arsenic who to state with, who to beryllium loyal to, and however to walk your time. And yes, you're inactive astatine the mercy of your dice rolls.

A property merchandise offers a spot much clarity arsenic to the communicative itself:

The satellite of [C4] is rife with shadowy characters who assistance determination the pieces for competing geopolitical powers successful a crippled of concealed conflict. The subordinate sets retired to implicit a hopeless duty which volition enactment them astatine hazard of losing their life, oregon overmuch worse – being exposed for what they truly are.As an Operant serving a questionable planetary power, the subordinate finds themselves locked successful a vicious, clandestine conflict for information and influence. Yet it is the caput that takes centre signifier successful Project [C4]. More susceptible and much almighty than the carnal world, it tin beryllium erased, changed, reordered, and of people importantly altered done regular usage of psychoactive substances amongst different means. Players indispensable alloy themselves with immoderate comfortableness they tin successful bid to past the convulsive canvas of the real.

Unfortunately, it's worthy noting that portion the workplace sanction is the same, galore of the radical who worked connected Disco Elysium volition not beryllium moving connected Project C4. Numerous erstwhile ZA/UM members person near the workplace since Disco Elysium's release, with aggregate conflicting reports surfacing involving accusations of capitalist fraud and fiscal malfeasance, and counter-accusations of immoderate developers creating a toxic enactment environment. People Make Games endeavored to sum up and reconcile these accounts successful a lengthy video report, but the extremity effect has been the splintering of ZA/UM into aggregate caller studios purportedly moving connected spiritual successors, with present what remains of ZA/UM focusing connected Project C4. That leaves small anticipation near for a existent Disco Elysium 2.

We're expecting to spot much of Project C4 from ZA/UM adjacent week astatine the Game Developers Conference.

Rebekah Valentine is simply a elder newsman for IGN. You tin find her posting connected BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a communicative tip? Send it to [email protected].