author: Zuzanna Domeradzka
Scandals Surrounding Disco Elysium Devs are Slowly Settling
The dispute between ZA/UM, the studio responsible for Disco Elysium, and its former employees is apparently slowly coming to an end. Kaur Kender has responded to court orders for payment related to the lawsuit he filed, which was withdrawn in December.
It seems that the complicated affair surrounding studio ZA/UM and its former employees is slowly settling down. It can be considered that the case of the lawsuit filed last year by Kaura Kender is finally over - executive producer of Disco Elysium has paid the company's chief executive, Ilmar Kompus, for the costs of the lawsuit he initiated (via GamesIndustry.biz). According to ZA/UM, the man has thus "paid off all his debts." However, as Kender stated:
"I am grateful for all the years of cooperation with the team, thanks to which Disco Elysium turned out to be such a successful project. After I left the studio I filed a lawsuit, but realized that it was a mistake."
Recall that Kender withdrew his lawsuit against ZA/UM back in December. The allegation concerned Kompus' company, Tütreke, which was allegedly a front for the purchase of concept sketches for the continuation of Disco Elysium. According to the game's executive producer, Ilmar thus stinged him for one million euros.
Interestingly, according to ZA/UM claims were also said to have been withdrawn by Robert Kurvitz, the game's creative director, by the lack of evidence in the case. Could this also be the reason why Kender considered his lawsuit a mistake? An unequivocal answer, unfortunately, does not exist.
Despite the court affairs dying down, ZA/UM says it still faces allegedly unfounded allegations from former employees - it is worth mentioning that reportedly in addition to Kender and Kurvitz,also Helen Hindpere (chief screenwriter) and Alexander Rostov (art director), among others, left the team "involuntarily". It is possible, however, that these scandals, too, will soon dissolve into thin air.