Following Dark Math Games and Longdue, another studio of former ZA/UM employees appeared on the gaming horizon, but without plans for the spiritual successor to the cult role-playing detective Disco Elysium – Summer Eternal.
Translation of the inscription on the ground: “One day I will be with you again” (image source Homikator on Steam)
Summer Eternal was founded by Argo Tuulik, one of the members of the ZA/UM association, co-creator of the world of Disco Elysium and lead writer of the canceled standalone addition to it (X7).
In a conversation with IGN, the specialist called Summer Eternal a “revolutionary new RPG studio” and said that he had already enlisted the help of several former ZA/UM employees, including:
- Olga Moskvina – was one of the five writers of Disco Elysium along with Tuulik;
- Dora Klindžić – narrative designer at ZA/UM, with whom Tuulik came up with the idea for X7 in the summer of 2022;
- Lenval Brown, the voice actor who lent his voice to the character’s skills in Disco Elysium;
- Anastasia Ivanova and Michael Oswell – former senior concept artist and graphic designer at ZA/UM.
Summer Eternal is positioned as a game studio and art collective at the same time (image source: Summer Eternal)
According to the manifesto on the studio’s official website, Summer Eternal aims to create a “cultural mega-project” – “a role-playing game that will not be inferior in complexity and ambition to our wretched and beautiful world.”
«This is definitely not a sequel to Disco Elysium,” added Tuulik. “It’s time to put the past to rest and start a new chapter.” It will be a completely new setting, story and mechanics. But in the end we remain ourselves, and we make RPGs.”
Image Source: Summer Eternal
Summer Eternal’s ambitious RPG doesn’t yet have a form, title, or release date, but a newsletter on the studio’s website promises the imminent start of some kind of crowdfunding campaign, likely related to the project.