portal GamesIndustry.biz reports that the independent Estonian studio ZA/UM, which created the role-playing detective Disco Elysium, has settled the conflict with several former employees.
Image Source: Steam (Homicator)
First, Disco Elysium senior game designer Robert Kurvitz and artistic director Alexander Rostov retracted their allegations of wrongful dismissal against ZA/UM for lack of evidence.
Recall that in October 2021, Kurvitz, Rostov and screenwriter Helen Hindpere left ZA/UM against their will. After the fact became public in October 2022, Kurvitz sued the studio on behalf of his company Telomer.
Despite Kurvitz and Rostov’s denial of the claims, ZA/UM continues to face challenges “a string of unfounded allegations by former employees” and expects new lawsuits “will crumble after legal and factual examination”.
Kender and Kompus (Image sources: Eesti Rahvusringhääling and Baltic News Service)
Second, ZA/UM has settled a dispute with Disco Elysium executive producer Kaur Kender, who filed a lawsuit against the studio’s controlling shareholder in November 2022.
Kender claimed that the businessman and current ZA/UM boss Ilmar Kompus took over the power in the studio via the letterbox company Tütreke, embezzled 4.8 million euros and stole around one million euros from the producer.
In December 2022, Kender dropped the lawsuit, Kompus returned the ZA/UM money, and Kender has now paid off all of the studio’s debts, sold its shares in the company, and acknowledged the fallacy of the November lawsuit.
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