10 Upcoming Video Games You Didn't Realise Got Cancelled
2. Disco Elysium Sequel
Robert Kurvitz's immersive isometric RPG was so ground-breaking, there were rumblings of a follow-up about five minutes after it was released. Sadly, Disco Elysium 2, codenamed Y12, was cancelled in 2022.
Although that should've been the end of it, the effects of ZA/UM's failed sequel continued to leave an impact for years. Rather than terminating Y12 completely, head writers, Argo Tuulik and Dora Klindzic, were asked to repurpose the content into a standalone expansion called X7. An internal demo of this DLC was produced in 2023, which was well-received.
However, the project came under fire when it came to light the staff had endured gruelling working conditions during development. When complaints were made, a quarter of the team was laid off, including Tuulik and Klindzic.
In February 2024, it was publicly declared that Y12 was shelved indefinitely. At the moment, the only Disco Elysium entry that ZA/UM has in the pipeline is a mobile title called M0.
But there might be light at the end of the tunnel, since former ZA/UM members have formed their own studios, and intend to develop spiritual successors of Disco Elysium.
But considering how chaotic Y12's development was, nobody should be holding their breath.