Zero Parades Writer Hopes ZA/UM ‘Never Becomes a AAA Studio’

Developer ZA/UM whitethorn person had a important deed with 2019’s Disco Elysium, but it remains a reasonably tiny studio. And, astatine slightest arsenic acold arsenic writer and VO manager Jim Ashilevi is concerned, that’s however things should remain.

“I anticipation we'll ne'er go a triple-A studio,” helium said during a caller interrogation with IGN.

ZA/UM presently employs conscionable nether 100 members of staff, galore of whom enactment remotely from antithetic places crossed the world. Its has offices successful Tallinn, Estonia; London, UK; and Porto, Portugal, and the institution remains independently owned. While this is admittedly a bigger outfit than galore indie developers enjoy, it’s inactive small-scale. And that’s however Ashilevi likes it.

“I deliberation we're ever profoundly encouraged and inspired by the indie country due to the fact that that's wherever the caller ideas travel from,” helium said. “The avant-garde worldly ever happens connected the fringes, and I anticipation we'll ne'er go a triple-A studio. Honestly, adjacent if Zero Parades sells 4 cardinal copies, I anticipation we are omniscient capable to enactment existent to our halfway sensibilities and values arsenic artists and storytellers.”

As portion of that conversation, Ashilevi offered his appraisal of the gaming landscape. “I deliberation it's grim retired there,” helium said. “I deliberation the manufacture is successful a truly unsmooth place. We each cognize that. But I don't deliberation the manufacture is successful a unsmooth spot creatively. I think, successful a way, it's amended than ever. It's amended than ever earlier due to the fact that anyone tin marque a crippled that touches the hearts of hundreds of millions of people.”

The remark came successful notation to the occurrence of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which, portion developed connected a overmuch higher fund than immoderate of ZA/UM’s projects, was 2025’s objection that there’s an tremendous appetite for single-player, story-led games produced extracurricular of the mega-publishers’ circles.

“I deliberation the manufacture has go little gatekeep-y successful a way,” helium said. “But that besides presents different problem, which is however bash you adjacent statesman to beforehand your game, oregon marque definite that it really finds its audience? I deliberation truly the lone happening you tin power is whether you're staying existent to your ain imaginativeness and your ain voice.”

As we explored earlier this week, that imaginativeness has been ZA/UM’s “North Star” erstwhile it comes to Zero Parades. “For that reason, I'm already truly arrogant and blessed with what we've done,” says Ashilevi. “It's similar the effect coming from the players – which volition hopefully beryllium positive, mostly affirmative – is astir conscionable a bonus astatine this point. The existent worth I got retired of it arsenic a storyteller was conscionable getting to cognize my friends and colleagues a small amended and getting to cognize much astir what goes connected successful their hearts and minds and souls.”

For much from ZA/UM, cheque retired the studio’s stance connected utilizing AI, and wherefore its caller RPG resembles Disco Elysium truthful closely.

Matt Purslow is IGN's Executive Editor of Features.