Disco Elysium Studio’s Next RPG Gets Release Window, First Gameplay Trailer

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ZA/UM, the studio behind the acclaimed game *Disco Elysium*, has announced that their next project, *Zero Parades: For Dead Spies*, will be released in 2026. The announcement came during a recent State of Play presentation, where they also showed off the first gameplay trailer for the new title.

The game *Zero Parades* was first revealed at Gamescom in late August 2025. The initial trailer focused on creating a sense of atmosphere and hinting at the game’s setting – a paranoid spy thriller reminiscent of *Disco Elysium* – though it only showed a very brief glimpse of actual gameplay.

Zero Parades Reveals Gameplay and Full Name

So, a month later, ZA/UM showed off a new trailer for *Zero Parades* during the September State of Play! It was awesome – almost a minute and a half of actual gameplay. That’s when we finally learned the full title: *Zero Parades: For Dead Spies*. The trailer really let us see the main character, Hershel Wilk, in action. She’s a pretty skilled operator – they call them “operants” in the game – but seriously unlucky. It looks like she’s constantly getting thrown into tough situations with betrayals and tough choices, and the world is definitely stacked against her.

Zero Parades Locks Down a 2026 Release Window

The recent trailer for *Zero Parades* showed the game is planned for release in 2026. Although revealed at a Sony event, the game will be available on both PC and PlayStation 5. ZA/UM hasn’t confirmed any other platforms yet. Given that 2026 is almost here and they haven’t given a more specific release date, it seems likely the game will come out in the latter half of the year, assuming there are no setbacks.

As a huge fan of *Disco Elysium*, I’m really excited about what the developers are doing with *Zero Parades*! They’re adding these things called Dramatic Encounters, which sound amazing – basically, time slows down and you make a bunch of choices that are decided by dice rolls. It’s a cool way to build on all the great dialogue from the first game. They’ve also introduced an ‘Exert’ button that lets you roll an extra die and pick the best results, which sounds like a nice way to give yourself an edge. The marketing director mentioned it costs a ‘small sacrifice’ to use, but they’re keeping the details under wraps for now, promising we’ll learn more soon. I’m definitely intrigued!

After the hit game *Disco Elysium*, the company ZA/UM went through a difficult period. Robert Kurvitz, the game’s former director, and Aleksander Rostov, the art director, both left, claiming the company was taken over fraudulently and misused €4.8 million in funding. ZA/UM denies these claims, stating the two were fired for inappropriate behavior. This led to a lawsuit in Estonia filed by the creators of *Disco Elysium* against ZA/UM. Now, with the release of *Zero Parades: For Dead Spies*, some *Disco Elysium* fans may have mixed feelings. While the new game looks similar, many in the community believe the studio treated key people involved in the original game unfairly.

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2025-09-25 02:34