Developer ZA/UM’s next game is C4, as brand new espionage game that received a cryptic teaser today. In a press pre-briefing before it’s announcement, ZA/UM confirmed that while the game builds on what the studio has done in previous games, C4 is not Disco Elysium 2.
C4‘s announcement comes over five years after the release of Disco Elysium, the RPG that propelled ZA/UM to stardom in 2019. While the studio had reportedly been working on a sequel to that game at some point, as well as a DLC, those plans changed amid a flurry of legal troubles and layoffs at the studio. Now, ZA/UM has revealed that it’s been working on an entirely new game.
So, what is C4? Its first teaser trailer doesn’t reveal too much. We get a cryptic monologue about spies over some surreal imagery. It doesn’t explain much, but it certainly seems to retain Disco Elysium‘s signature style.
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Digital Trends learned a bit more about the project in a press briefing ahead of its reveal. What we know for sure is that it’s an espionage game inspired by the works of John le Carré and Park Chan-wook. ZA/UM notes that the game doubles down on what the studio does well, but stressed that it’s a brand new game, not Disco Elysium 2. Players can expect another dialogue-driven RPG with tabletop elements, as encounters are determined through dice role.
The one other detail we did learn is that failure is a big part of C4. ZA/UM describes it as having a “fail forwards” mentality that rewards players rather than punishing them, much like Disco Elysium. The studio also stresses that its take on spies won’t be in the vein of James Bond. That’s all we have to go on for now.
C4 comes after years of trouble behind the scenes at ZA/UM. In 2022, the studio parted ways with several of the creative forces behind Disco Elysium, including designer Robert Kurvitz. That kicked off a complicated legal war between the former employees and ZA/UM. While that brewed, ZA/UM reportedly cancelled both Disco Elysium 2 and a DLC for the first game, codenamed X7. Last year, the studio laid off roughly a quarter of its staff, leaving its projects in limbo. In the fallout, three Disco Elysium spiritual successors have been announced at other studios.