Disco Elysium creative lead Robert Kurvitz was quietly fired from ZA/UM in late 2021, files lawsuit against them

[mondblut]

four concept sketches of a man in a scarf, the first glimpses of a Disco Elysium sequel, which were allegedly bought last year for just over €1 by a shell company controlled by a ZA/UM executive, and then immediately re-sold to ZA/UM for €4.8 million.

Man, this NFT business really is profitable.

 

[Lord_Potato]

Aren’t a lot of RPGs menu games?

At least DE doesn't have menu towns

 

[S.torch]

For now, the fate of ZA/UM Studios, the founders of the creative collective of the same name, Disco Elysium and its world is extremely murky. The first court hearing is set for November 28.

The hearing is in 2 days.

 

[Junmarko]

The legal war over Disco Elysium reaches Disco Elysium levels of complexity​

By Rich Stanton

While I'm not going to invest any time reading this, I am going to conclude Prime Cunta is somehow to blame for all of it.

 

[S.torch]

The hearing is tomorrow.

 

[Sordid MCA/Prosper Hybryd]

The legal war over Disco Elysium reaches Disco Elysium levels of complexity​

By Rich Stanton

While I'm not going to invest any time reading this, I am going to conclude Prime Cunta is somehow to blame for all of it.

Kinda goes without saying.

 

[AW8]

ZA/UM... Are those the guys that did No Truce With The Furries?

 

[S.torch]

The hearing is today. Let's wait for the news.

 

[†††]

The hearing is today. Let's wait for the news.

Is this the new Avellone #MeToo thread? hope Estonian judicial moves faster than the American one.

 

[Sordid MCA/Prosper Hybryd]

https://ekspress.delfi.ee/artikkel/120102668/sahinad-disco-elysiumi-stuudio-sai-oma-miljonid-tagasi
Translation (DeepL):

"Disco Elysium" studio gets its millions back

Tütreke, the private company of businessman Ilmar Kompus, has paid back €4.8 million to Zaum Studio, the maker of the global hit "Disco Elysium", which it withdrew without the consent of other shareholders.

The money was received by the company in three instalments at the beginning of November, with the claim that it was "received under a void transaction". Kompus himself led both parties to the transaction.



There's more, but it's behind a paywall.

 

[KVVRR]

https://ekspress.delfi.ee/artikkel/120102668/sahinad-disco-elysiumi-stuudio-sai-oma-miljonid-tagasi
Translation (DeepL):

"Disco Elysium" studio gets its millions back

Tütreke, the private company of businessman Ilmar Kompus, has paid back €4.8 million to Zaum Studio, the maker of the global hit "Disco Elysium", which it withdrew without the consent of other shareholders.

The money was received by the company in three instalments at the beginning of November, with the claim that it was "received under a void transaction". Kompus himself led both parties to the transaction.



There's more, but it's behind a paywall.

But are Kompus and Haavel still at the helm of ZA/UM? Because if that's the case then it's kinda pointless, no?

 

[Sordid MCA/Prosper Hybryd]

https://www.pcgamer.com/dollar48-mi...ed-as-the-battle-over-disco-elysium-continues

Robert Kurvitz told PC Gamer that his party is aware of "Kompus’s view that the money taken from ZA/UM Studio was 'repaid'." Kurvitz says he's seen a "partial bank statement allegedly confirming such repayment," but remains unclear on the "source and legal nature of this repayment, and the further use of the allegedly repaid funds."

"Further, any 'repayment' of the company’s money which was used to illegally acquire a majority stake does not erase the main consequence of the initial injustice⁠—which is that Kompus remains the majority owner, a position that he was only able to attain by using the company’s money as his own," said Kurvitz. "In light of this, there has been no material change in our situation, and we continue to consider our legal options. We cannot comment on the decisions taken by Kaur Kender with regard to his claim, to which we were never a party."

The future of what we at PC Gamer continue to regard as one of the best videogames ever made(opens in new tab) continues to be murky⁠. Kompus has paid back ZA/UM a sum of €4.8 million, maintaining that this exchange was perfectly legal and above-board. Kender, in his statement, continues to refer to the €4.8 million as "illegally taken" from the company, but has dropped the lawsuit, seemingly satisfied with its return.

Kurvitz and Rostov, meanwhile, argue that whatever the movement of that money and its final destination, it was, at one point, used to illegally seize the development house born of their artistic collective. There is also the remaining figure of Tõnis Haavel, another investor in ZA/UM who Kurvitz and Rostov allege aided Kompus in acquiring his majority stake, but does not seem to be as active a participant in this stage of the proceedings. We'll continue to follow and report on the legal battle over ownership of Disco Elysium as it develops.

 

[KVVRR]

So yeah, nothing changed. Kompus basically just transfered the money from one of his accounts to another.

 

[Zeriel]

I don’t think places like the Codex were very productive for his mental health

They're not productive for anyone's health... People are constantly shitting on W3 and Disco and both were selected as the Codex GOTYs, pretty hilarious xD

Almost like different people have different opinions. Shocking!

 

[Tyrr]

Almost like different people have different opinions. Shocking!

To be fair, most other places on the internet (like Reddit) are much more harmonized when it comes to opinions.
A result of systems like up/down voting or just banning dissenters.

 

[Zeriel]

Almost like different people have different opinions. Shocking!

To be fair, most other places on the internet (like Reddit) are much more harmonized when it comes to opinions.
A result of systems like up/down voting or just banning dissenters.

Yeah, it's censorship. Up/downvoting was how it was when Reddit was new, it is completely gamed/destroyed by admin/mod fiat nowadays. They don't let the system work. And when Reddit was new and discourse was not run by topdown force, there was a huge panoply of opinion. Reddit used to be seen as predominantly libertarian/vaguely centrist right wing in those days.

 

[V_K]

a huge panoply of opinion

predominantly libertarian

No contradiction whatsoever.

 

[Zeriel]

a huge panoply of opinion

predominantly libertarian

No contradiction whatsoever.

No, not really. A libertarian environment allows the airing of many types of opinion. One ruled by censorship does not.

 

[KVVRR]

I come here seeing the notification thinking there might be some new development only to see a bunch of people fighting over reddit moderation of all things. For shame.

 

[Fredward]

So you're telling me the asshats did exactly the morally and ethically dubious thing they were accused of except there's no law against it so it's fine.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

So you're telling me the asshats did exactly the morally and ethically dubious thing they were accused of except there's no law against it so it's fine.

Can you explain why the people who fund your venture shouldn't also reap the rewards since it would be impossible without them?

 

[KVVRR]

So you're telling me the asshats did exactly the morally and ethically dubious thing they were accused of except there's no law against it so it's fine.

Can you explain why the people who fund your venture shouldn't also reap the rewards since it would be impossible without them?

That's not what they were accused of, they were accused of commiting fraud in order to push out every other person with stakes in the company out and sell it for a quick buck, which was proven in court that's exactly what they did.

 

[S.torch]

So the Estonians guys decided to just shut in or what?

Doesn't look like a cool move to make...

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/zaum-resolves-legal-dispute-with-disco-elysium-producer-kaur-kender

ZA/UM resolves legal dispute with Disco Elysium producer Kaur Kender​

Ex-employee has repaid all debts owed to studio and divest his shares in ZA/UM

The ongoing legal dispute between Disco Elysium studio ZA/UM and the game's producer Kaur Kender has been resolved.

ZA/UM studio has announced that ex-staffer Kender has repaid all debts owed to it.

Also, per a court order, Kender has repaid CEO Ilmar Kompus for legal fees from a lawsuit that was eventually withdrawn back in December. Additionally, he's divested all his shares in the games company.

"I am thankful for the years of trust and cooperation with the team, which made Disco Elysium a successful project," said Kender. "After leaving my full-time role, I filed a lawsuit which I realized, after seeing the facts, was misguided."

The news comes after a series of claims surfaced against the Disco Elysium maker from Kender, and ZA/UM shareholders emerged towards the tail end of 2022.

In October 2022, it was reported that three key creators, Helen Hindpere, Robert Kurvitz, and Aleksander Rostov, left the company "involuntarily."

ZA/UM Studio says both Kurvitz and Rostov have dropped their "unfair dismissal" claims due to lack of evidence.

However, the company says it continues to face a "series of baseless allegations from former employees" and expects more claims to "fall apart under legal and factual scrutiny."

Later in the month, a lawsuit was filed against the studio by Telomer, a company that included Kurvitz – author of the Disco Elysium novel and designer of the game – as a board member.

In November 2022, a lawsuit filing alleged that Kompus spent €4.8 million ($5.1 million) in company funds to obtain a majority share of the studio.

Following Kender's suit withdrawal against Tütreke, the ZA/UM's majority shareholder, Kompus and Tütreke paid €4.8 million ($5.1 million) back to ZA/UM.

"As this transaction shows, open discussions are the best way to clear up misunderstandings and differences, especially when it's for the benefit of the team," said Kompus.

"We've approached this with the collective interest of ZA/UM and our incredible team in mind, and we are glad to have reached a full resolution."

 

[Maxie]

zzz buncha alcoholics and art school nobodies swindled by a sketchy swindler who got swindled by a real soulless corporate buckbreaker
they escaped their shithole and moved to the uk where their pinko creed is still listened to unironically so it's a win situation for the heckin wholesome punk product pushers