ZA/UM, the development studio renowned for the critically acclaimed indie RPG Disco Elysium, announced its latest project, Zero Parades, during Gamescom 2025's Opening Night Live presentation. This new title marks the studio's first major release following a period of significant internal turmoil, including high-profile departures and legal disputes.
The reveal trailer set the tone for Zero Parades, delivering a mysterious, atmospheric introduction through voiceover narration by the protagonist, a spy named Hershel Wilk. Described as "brilliant, burnt-out, possibly cursed" and known by the alias CASCADE, Wilk is the centerpiece of a story steeped in espionage, ideological conflict, and personal redemption.
The game appears to maintain stylistic and mechanical similarities to Disco Elysium in its isometric camera angle and art direction, yet pivots toward a spy-themed narrative set amidst a "three-way struggle for cultural and ideological power" in an intriguing new city. The Steam page elaborates on the premise: the protagonist led a team into a disastrous mission five years prior and has since been haunted by failure. Now recalled for another covert assignment, Wilk must navigate complex alliances and uncover the city’s secrets, traumas, and miracles.
Despite its evocative trailer and narrative hints, the game currently lacks a release window, and Steam remains the sole confirmed platform. The subtitle cycling in the trailer—"for fake radicals," "for dead spies," and "for missing pop stars"—suggests a layered, perhaps sardonic commentary resonant with the studio’s recent history and thematic preoccupations.
The announcement arrives amid broader shifts in the gaming industry, where issues of studio management, worker rights, and unionization have gained prominence. ZA/UM’s internal challenges and staff changes reflect a wider context in which developers increasingly advocate for labor rights and creative autonomy. Against this backdrop, Zero Parades is poised as not only a narrative-driven RPG but also a statement from a studio navigating reinvention and resilience.
Fans of ZA/UM's distinctive storytelling will likely watch closely as Zero Parades progresses. For now, anticipatory curiosity surrounds how this new title will balance the celebrated narrative depth of its predecessor with fresh espionage themes and structural gameplay innovations.
More updates on Zero Parades and other major announcements from Gamescom 2025, including new entries in the Lego Batman franchise and a Sekiro anime adaptation, are expected in the coming months.
