Updated
Updated · GamesIndustry.biz · Jul 17
ZA/UM Cuts 32 Jobs After Zero Parades Fails to Sustain Studio Size
Updated
Updated · GamesIndustry.biz · Jul 17

ZA/UM Cuts 32 Jobs After Zero Parades Fails to Sustain Studio Size

3 articles · Updated · GamesIndustry.biz · Jul 17

Summary

  • 32 employees across all departments were laid off at ZA/UM after Zero Parades: For Dead Spies failed to generate enough revenue to support the studio at its current size.
  • ZA/UM said the cuts would change the studio's shape but not its purpose, adding that its artistic standards remain unchanged despite the downsizing.
  • The redundancy process included consultation with the ZA/UM Workers' Alliance, the UK staff union formed last year with IWGB representation and links to colleagues in Porto and Tallinn.
  • About 20 employees were cut in 2024 after ZA/UM canceled three projects, including a Disco Elysium sequel and expansion, underscoring a second major retrenchment in two years.

Insights

Can a studio ever truly escape the shadow of its own masterpiece and the creators it lost?
When critical acclaim can't save jobs, is the video game industry's business model fundamentally broken?