Alright, I'm going to attempt to hopefully clear up a few misconceptions and assuage some worries about this Disco Elysium sequel and the general situation at za/um right now.
I see the shitshow that is unfolding on social media, and as someone who has known about this whole disaster for over half a year now I'd like to weigh in on it and provide some context for everyone who may not know the full story.
First off, Robert Kurvitz was fired at the end of last year. December 2021. As is strongly implied on Martin Luiga's twitter, the reason for this is greed (calling them "money men" and "crooks" and other similar statements for like, months now), and the executive producers, Tõnis Haavel (who has previously been tried for fraud) and Kaur Kender (who has previously been tried for... other things.) screwed everyone over. Kender provided funding for the game, as the majority of the original za/um cultural association did not have the financial means to.
The original za/um cultural association consisted of Robert Kurvitz, Jüri Saks, Martin Luiga, and Aleksander Rostov, originally founded in in 2009. The group, along with Argo Tuulik, played many different ttrpg campaigns over the years, several of them set in Revachol (centred around Precinct 41), and slowly built the world up from there. Kurvitz released the book The Sacred and Terrible Air, set 20 years after Disco Elysium, back in 2013* but the novel flopped, and it was decided that they would make a video game. Rostov has always been more than just an artist for Disco Elysium, as you can see from the dev threads he frequently updated promoting the game, as well as on his personal instagram, tumblr sketch blog, and several other accounts he used while the game was first gaining traction.
*The most notable credits for TSaTA are as follows:
Author: Robert Kurvitz, Editor: Martin Luiga, Cover Design: Aleksander Rostov, Worldbuilding: Robert Kurvitz, Martin Luiga, Kaspar Kalvet, Argo Tuulik. Helen Hindpere and Kaur Kender also appear in the credits.
I say this because some of the staff at za/um are now accusing fans of being unable to overcome the "auteur theory" of it all (ie. seeing Kurvitz as the singular creative mind behind it all) but the fact is that they have now lost not only the original ttrpg campaign's game master, The Sacred and Terrible Air's author, and Disco Elysium's lead writer/director (Kurvitz) but also their lead writer for the Final Cut's political vision quests (Hindpere) as well as their "co-founder" and art director/designer (Rostov). They are all CREATIVE LEADS, and not just well known only for their reputations/titles.
Luiga himself (who originally broke the news) was an Elysium world builder and provided much of the pale and innocence-related lore. He was also a part of the original tabletop campaigns (Chester McLaine is his player character!), but left midway through Disco Elysium's development due to creative differences (or as he says, "bad vibes" at the company). He is credited as an editor, but claims to have written a good chunk of the text in the game, including much of Joyce's dialogue about the pale. I have seen people discredit him due to his early departure, but Rostov also tweeted out confirming that he, along with Hindpere and Kurvitz were no longer at the company, with no additional comments. Rostov also posted a drawing on his twitter several months back depicting a man jerking off over an NDA, so take that as you will.
So what does this mean for the future?
Luiga has said that he has hope for the sequel, which could either mean that the script was finished or nearing completion before Kurvitz was fired (likely, and fits a pattern in the industry) and it's just a matter of finishing the actual game development aspect, or it may be that he has hope for the original za/um creatives to be able to re-acquire the IP.
I think it's worth pointing out that the original pitch for "Disco Elysium" was actually "The Return", and Disco Elysium was meant to be the smaller-scale prequel to introduce players to the world. Considering that the team was planning on this sequel all along, I think it's possible that a large amount of the "original" game was written years ago, so it's not all that far fetched to believe that the basic outline may be finished, or even that a large portion of the script already exists. Keep in mind that there are a large number of writers for both Disco Elysium and The Final Cut, and it may still be possible to work with a base that the others provided. We have no idea how far into development the sequel may be. Of course, proceeding without three key members of the original team is kind of a kick in the balls, and imo really quite disgusting, especially with how long the company has been keeping their departures secret (dishonesty is not a good look lmao), but it may still be canon, true to the authors' vision, and genuinely a good game in the end.
Argo Tuulik, original Elysium world builder and part of the old ttrpg campaigns, as well as a main writer on Disco Elysium, is still working at za/um. Justin Keenan, former writer on The Final Cut who wrote the political vision quests alongside Helen Hindpere, still works at za/um (and has been promoted to lead writer, according to his LinkedIn), as does Kaspar Tamsalu, who painted several character portraits, (René and Gaston) and worked as a concept artist on the original game. Plenty of the original creatives still remain. The sequel could very well still be in good hands at the development level, even if the higher ups are "crooked".
So, in conclusion... If this game comes out and they still haven't worked things out with Kurvitz, Rostov and Hindpere? Honestly... fuckin' pirate it. But it is very likely it could still be a great game that plays out as it was meant to! All that being said, FUCK za/um as a company, don't support them through Atelier or their merch store. I wish everyone luck if they do attempt to get the IP back, and I sincerely hope this fan pressure will help get things moving for them.
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Rec links below the cut:
How to Pass a Take-Home Exam by dancinbutterfly, (note: not what I usually read since it has mpreg, but I gave it a shot and it honestly wasn't half bad, also this is a part 4 of a series)
A Sated City by ColetheWolf, (note: not Sterek, just Derek sleeping around, but he very specifically buys a frozen dinner in this one)
It was just a cupcake by thelittlestwolf
The Weight Of Living by thecomedownchampion
Full On Rainstorm by BarlowGirl
Trust Fall by stoney
Bogarted by HalfFizzbin, (note: sheriff doesn't call Derek son, but Derek admits to seeing the sheriff as a father-figure)
An Iceberg Named Stiles by orphan_account
Gorgeous by Asterekmess (Livinginfictions)
Bravery Is A Loaded Gun by LiviKate DefNotForWork, (note: the author was named LiviKate when I first found the fic, username has since been changed to DefNotForWork)
stuck in reverse by crazyassmurdererwall (smartalli)
First and Last and Always by sffan, (note: not a kiss, but Derek does automatically brace himself for rejection during a conversation, also this is a part 1 of 2)
For You There's No Warning by Zee (orphan_account)
Came Out Of The Woods By Choice by thensepia
will to follow through by owlpostagain
You Have Reached... by isthatbloodonhisshirt, (note: over the phone)
if you want my love you got it by vlieger
Bravery Is A Loaded Gun by LiviKate DefNotForWork, (note: the author was named LiviKate when I first found the fic, username has since been changed to DefNotForWork)
Walk me down your broken line by geordielover
For You There's No Warning by Zee (orphan_account)
Pretty Much a Big Deal by Dira Sudis (dsudis)
Love, Like A Death Sentence by DevilDoll
For You There's No Warning by Zee (orphan_account)
Life Because of It series by FiccinDylan, (note: series, but part 2, Mi Primo Miguel, is what I think embodies this theme the most)
Make You Believe by LittleLynn
Walk me down your broken line by geordielover, (note: these words are very, very close to being said, but they get choked off)
You Always Make A Bloody Mess by Sweetsyren
The More My Prayer (the lesser is my grace) by LadySlytherin
Kintsukuroi by Quixoticity
The Weight Of Living by thecomedownchampion
Kintsugi by artemis69
Trust Fall by stoney
Cuddly Therapy by alisvolatpropiis
Walk me down your broken line by geordielover
We've Written Volumes (in Blood and Scars and Ink) by notthequiettype
Safety In Silence by Survivah
Trust Fall by stoney
Cuddly Therapy by alisvolatpropiis
"Stiles, I was talking about the lasagna" by quackquackcey
will to follow through by owlpostagain, (note: not a small, shy smile, but just a rare, genuine smile that absolutely breaks Stiles' heart)
First and Last and Always by sffan
For You There's No Warning by Zee (orphan_account)
Are You Happy Now? by chasingshadows
For You There's No Warning by Zee (orphan_account)
Convenient by exclamation
Hard-Hitting by all-or-nothing-baby (BundleOfSoy)
Sick Day by dragon_temeraire, (note: last part of the It's Casual, Really series, also it's a friends-with-benefits relationship, that they both only agree on because they think it's the most they can ever get, that evolves)
Have It All by doc_sock, (note: this is the reverse, where Derek thinks they're friends with benefits and is terrified of Stiles being bored with him one day)
Gorgeous by Asterekmess (Livinginfictions)
Bravery Is A Loaded Gun by LiviKate DefNotForWork, (note: the author was named LiviKate when I first found the fic, username has since been changed to DefNotForWork)
Just For Now by linksofmemories_archive
Stepping Off the Razor's Edge by MissAnnThropic
You Saw Me Standing Alone by orphan_account
We've Written Volumes (in Blood and Scars and Ink) by notthequiettype, (note: Derek seems to know their dynamic pretty well, but Stiles is confused as fuck)
I Broke a Rule by isthatbloodonhisshirt
Five Times Derek and Stiles Had Casual Sex and One Time
They Realized It Was Something More
by 42hrb
Slide on over and forget it's wrong by linaerys
@isthatbloodonhisshirt, @colethewolf, @chasingshhadows, @quackquackcey, @artemis69, @optimismology, @ficcidylan, @devildoll, @dsudis, @sourwolph, @thecomedownchampion, @everything-a-wolf-could-want, @vlieger-fic, @owlpostagain, @crazyassmurdererwall, @asterekmess, @halffizzbin, @stoneyboboney, @all-or-nothing-baby, @exhuastedpigeon
Reply to @antobcq, follow up to this post [X]
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I know this is beating a dead horse at this point, but I just started thinking about this the other day and...
How many people that were previously enemies has Sonic ACTUALLY befriended?
Like my knowledge of some old games and the handhelds ain't great, but...
There was Knuckles, who I think is the only one in the classic era.
He never really befriended Gamma in SA1, just left him to Amy.
Also he didn't befriend Chaos, just beat the anger out of him.
The next one was Shadow in SA2, although they're still kinda rivals?
I don't think Rouge counts in SA2 since she wasn't really an enemy of Sonic specifically, even in Heroes it's really Sonic and Shadow that start the fight.
Gemerl is a robot who was reprogrammed to be friendly, I wouldn't count that as "befriending someone".
Him and Jet are rivals in every Riders game, this never changes.
Blaze in Rush is someone that fought him and they became friends, so it's clear cut, she counts.
Silver in '06 does as well.
Do we count Shade from Chronicles? I think she had a boss fight. I know very little about that game but it's not canon, right?
Merlina is kinda a grey area? Like they were friends, he stopped her evil plans and was still nice to her. I don't know if in context that meets the criteria.
On top of that I don't think the Knights of the Round Table count. Sonic is there to take the swords and they work together at the end. I don't think there's any hard feelings, but don't know if this counts as "friends".
Sage could be the next example, but she's still loyal to Eggman. I don't think what they briefly shared was friendship as much as Sage wanting to save Eggman.
I haven't played Superstars but Trip doesn't even have a bossfight, does she? I don't think she counts.
Not looking at the method, just purely if they became friends down the line. Out of all of those, there's 4 total (if you count Shadow, which I do) with 1 it's complicated and 1 non-canon. That's very few when you consider how large the game cast is.
An overwhelming majority of his friends weren't ever hostile with him to begin with, like the Chaotix, Amy, Tails, Cream, Emerl, Big, ect. There's plenty of other cast members that are still have him on their shit list, like Eggman, Infinite (if he's alive), Fang, Metal, Eggman Nega, the Deadly Six...
Now I'm starting to wonder where this idea of it being a frequent even came from.
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