Disco Elysium on Mobile: A Port, Not a Celebration?

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Back in 2019, a little-known Estonian studio called ZA/UM released its first-ever project on Steam: an isometric, narrative-driven role-playing game by the name of Disco Elysium. Designed as a spiritual successor to the thought-provoking computer RPGs of yesteryear, such as Planescape: Torment, Disco Elysium was primarily a dialogue-driven game that featured little-to-no combat. Its story followed the misadventures of an alcoholic, amnesiac detective who had to come to terms with his past after being tasked with solving a murder mystery in a poverty-stricken city. Despite its unorthodox gameplay loop and premise, Disco Elysium ended up being a runaway success. ZA/UM’s debut release garnered praise from critics and players alike, and it even won multiple Game of the Year awards.

Disco Elysium was originally a Windows PC exclusive, but it was eventually ported to several other platforms. The game came to macOS in 2020 and, after it received an enhanced re-release titled The Final Cut, it was launched on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and the now-defunct Google Stadia in March 2021. Disco Elysium: The Final Cut was then brought to Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch later that year. Thanks to these ports, ZA/UM’s hit RPG has been made available on nearly every modern platform except for mobile phones, but that’s soon about to change.

Disco Elysium’s Android Port is Launching at an Inopportune Time

Disco Elysium is Coming to Android Phones Later this Year

Earlier this week, ZA/UM made the surprise announcement that Disco Elysium would be ported to Android phones in summer 2025. The company revealed, however, that this new Android version will not just be a traditional port, but instead a completely new iteration of the RPG. Disco Elysium‘s mobile phone port has not only been adjusted to fit on a vertical phone screen, it has also been modified to play from a primarily first-person perspective. Rather than featuring 3D environments, this version of the game features 2D artwork and backgrounds. The Android port will make Disco Elysium feel more like a point-and-click adventure game than a traditional RPG.

Compared to the original game, this new version of Disco Elysium seems like it will be a lot easier to play in short bursts, which may make it more suitable for players who don’t have the time to sit in front of a console or PC for hours on end. Since it’ll provide a wholly unique experience, it may also be perfect for those who are looking to replay Disco Elysium on the go. However, due to the controversies that have plagued ZA/UM in recent years, this mobile phone port may leave a bitter taste in some fans’ mouths.

ZA/UM Has Been Criticized for Its Mistreatment of Employees

ZA/UM has gone under fire for its alleged mistreatment of developers, many of whom played a pivotal role in Disco Elysium‘s creation. In October 2022, a former employee at the Estonian company revealed that he and a handful of other staff members, including ZA/UM’s very own co-founder, Robert Kurvitz, had involuntarily left the studio a year prior. Kurvitz, who was the lead designer and writer for Disco Elysium, claimed that he and some of his fellow developers were fired simply because they were not in favor of selling both ZA/UM and the Disco Elysium IP to a holding firm owned by the ZA/UM CEO, Ilmar Kompus. ZA/UM representatives denied these allegations and purported that Kurvitz and the other former employees had been laid off for creating a toxic workplace environment.

The Drama Surrounding Disco Elysium and ZA/UM Has Overshadowed the Upcoming Mobile Port

To this day, the feud between ZA/UM and Kurvitz has not been completely resolved, since it’s still unclear which of these conflicting reports is the most accurate. Whatever the case may be, however, many of the former employees at ZA/UM have already moved on and established new studios. Most of the people who originally worked on Disco Elysium are no longer at the company and, as such, many fans aren’t willing to support the upcoming Disco Elysium Android port since they don’t want the current leadership at ZA/UM to profit from other people’s work. Sadly, any potential excitement for this new version of Disco Elysium has been overshadowed by the drama surrounding its developer.

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2025-03-15 23:18