ZA/UM Studio cuts up to 32 jobs as Zero Parades fails to sustain operations
The studio announced the restructuring two months after the May launch of Zero Parades: For Dead Spies, noting that concurrent player numbers have declined from their peak.
Video game developer and publisher ZA/UM Studio has announced redundancies affecting up to 32 employees across all departments. The studio attributed the decision to the weak commercial performance of its latest title, Zero Parades: For Dead Spies, which launched in May and failed to sustain the studio's current operational size.
In a social media post, the studio confirmed it had served redundancy or at-risk notices to the affected colleagues. The announcement comes approximately two months after the espionage role-playing game’s release, marking a significant contraction for the developer known for the critically acclaimed 2019 narrative-heavy RPG, Disco Elysium.
Data from SteamDB indicates that Zero Parades: For Dead Spies reached an all-time peak of 3,177 concurrent players around the time of its launch. However, player numbers have since declined steadily, a trend that the studio cited as insufficient to support its existing workforce structure.
The restructuring follows a period of significant internal conflict for ZA/UM Studio. Following the success of Disco Elysium, the studio faced legal disputes involving intellectual property theft, allegations of a hostile work environment for women, and the departure of its core team. Several former developers subsequently established a new studio called Longdue, which is currently developing a narrative-first game.
Despite the scale of the cuts, ZA/UM Studio stated that it has continued to consult and work with representatives of the ZA/UM Workers' Alliance regarding the redundancies. The exact final number of employees affected may vary, as the studio initially cited "up to 32" individuals, and the long-term financial impact on the studio remains unclear based on current reporting.
