Among the group of studios I’ve dubbed the Disco Diaspora, which consists of four entities outside ZA/UM striving to create the next big thing reminiscent of Disco Elysium, Longdue has been the most vocal about its aspirations. Last October, they hinted at a new project featuring “team members who contributed to the original Disco Elysium and its unreleased sequel.” This lead-up culminated in January with a press release announcing a crowdfunding campaign for their game, Hopetown. They’ve been keen to mention individuals linked to Disco, such as Piotr Sobolewski and Martin Luiga, who are now contributing to Hopetown.
Recently, I sat down with Longdue’s technical lead, Piotr Sobolewski—credited with ‘additional development’ on Disco Elysium through The Knights of Unity—and Hopetown’s narrative director, Grant Roberts. I was eager to learn about the former Disco developers now at Longdue and their roles in crafting Hopetown.
Roberts explained, “We’ve had several folks from the Disco franchise cycle through our team, some have stayed, while others collaborated for a time before moving on. Martin, as you might be aware, is the latest addition with ties to ZA/UM, having been part of their narrative team. I can’t claim to know everyone who contributed to Disco’s story, but if you look at all the studios now working on Disco’s spiritual successors, you’ll find that most of the original key creatives have left ZA/UM to join these new ventures.”
He continued, “While those other studios highlight these individuals, I’d rather avoid the complicated web of Disco drama. I prefer focusing on what we’re creating, with contributions from people with diverse experiences at ZA/UM.”
Interestingly, Sobolewski’s connection to the original game sparked curiosity. His LinkedIn once described him as a “co-creator of the highest rated PC game of all time (according to Metacritic),” referring to Disco Elysium. This has since been altered to simply read “World-class IT Advisor.”
Sobolewski clarified this claim when I asked, stating, “ZA/UM often acknowledged how crucial The Knights were in saving the game, making us the core team for quite some time. Many of our ideas ended up in the game, and my name is in the credits. Although I was CEO, not directly involved in game development at The Knights of Unity, our contributions were significant. I’m not saying I co-created it, but I assembled the team that did.”
Roberts addressed any cynicism surrounding the chaos post-Disco Elysium and its subsequent successors. “Judge us by the quality of our work, not just the marketing,” he said. “We’re crafting something special, with a team diverse in experience and background, to stand proudly next to Disco in this new era it helped create.”
Longdue’s Kickstarter campaign for Hopetown launches today, March 17, promising to build on a legacy with its own unique twist.
