Studio confirms instances of a toxic workplace environment, verbal abuse, sex favoritism from dismissed employees

Sign up for the GI Daily here to get the biggest quality consecutive to your inbox

Disco Elysium workplace ZA/UM has confirmed an Estonian property study of mismanagement and misconduct among erstwhile elder employees to GamesIndustry.biz.

The reports travel quality that 3 cardinal members of ZA/UM – Disco Elysium decorator Robert Kurvitz, writer Helen Hindpere, and creation manager Aleksander Rostov – had been dismissed from the institution past year.

In an exclusive statement, ZA/UM elaborate immoderate of the reasons down caller dismissals, but did not sanction immoderate circumstantial individuals.

The workplace said the dismissed employees had constricted to nary engagement successful their responsibilities and work, created a toxic enactment environment, demonstrated misconduct towards different employees including verbal maltreatment and sex discrimination, and attempted to illegally merchantability ZA/UM's intelligence property. More details are specified by the workplace successful the afloat connection below.

ZA/UM besides confirmed that ineligible filings related to the erstwhile squad are pending, but did not divulge further. Last month, Kurvitz filed a suit against ZA/UM via his institution Telomer, to "obtain and reappraisal documents," though nary further details were given.

Speaking to Estonian paper Estonian Ekspress (translated by Google), ZA/UM CEO Ilmar Kompus said the workplace suffered from a "toxic environment," and accused Disco Elysium decorator Robert Kurvitz and number shareholder Saandar Taal of "humiliating colleagues and intending to bargain IP."

Taal is simply a erstwhile manager of ZA/UM UK LTD. He resigned successful March 2021.

Kompus accused Kurvitz and Taal of "belittling women and co-workers," claims that echo those made by GamesIndustry.biz's ain sources.

"They treated their co-workers precise badly," Kompus told the Ekspress. "Despite talking to them repeatedly, things did not improve. Therefore, the institution was forced to occurrence them. Robert [Kurvitz] is said to person been known for belittling women and co-workers successful the past, but this was antecedently chartless to the company. It would beryllium precise short-sighted of a increasing planetary institution to tolerate specified behaviour."

One root that spoke to GamesIndustry.biz, who asked to stay anonymous, described the concern arsenic "not achromatic and white," and said that semipermanent unit were reluctant to talk retired astir Kurvitz’ behaviour due to the fact that they respected him, and felt similar they owed him for their positions. Our root claimed unit hired aboriginal connected did not person a wide representation of the concern and felt uncomfortable speaking retired connected behalf of others.

"The enactment was organised successful specified a mode that the extremity did not look to beryllium to marque games, but alternatively to marque radical quarrel with each other," Luiga told the outlet.

Kompus besides claimed that Kurvitz and Taal had discussed wanting to instrumentality power of the company's intelligence spot – including Disco Elysium – which helium described arsenic "delusions of grandeur."

"They went to merchantability themselves secretly and successful usurpation of existing contracts to different well-known ample crippled manufacture companies, but nary 1 was interested," Kompus said. "That mightiness person made them angry."

Kompus added that their dismissal was demanded and carried retired by Kaur Kender, enforcement shaper connected Disco Elysium and their nonstop manager astatine the time.

Kender was placed connected a permission of lack connected aesculapian grounds successful precocious August according to Kompus, which was verified by our ain sources.

Sources that spoke to the Ekspress described a clash of 2 visions betwixt the concern squad of ZA/UM led by Kompus, and the originative squad formerly headed by Robert Kurvitz, which considered nett "secondary."

This was corroborated by our sources, 1 of which described the concern arsenic "CEO firm scheming connected 1 side, a toxic auteur connected the other."

ZA/UM said successful its connection to GamesIndustry.biz that "The rumour that our determination to terminate the contracts of these individuals was taken for fiscal summation is wholly unfounded and does not successful immoderate mode bespeak the facts."

Speaking to the Ekspress, Martin Luiga, co-founder of the precocious dissolved ZA/UM taste relation and exertion of the Disco Elysium novel, said helium was "driven to portion by the unnatural enactment arrangement" astatine the studio.

"The enactment was organised successful specified a mode that the extremity did not look to beryllium to marque games, but alternatively to marque radical quarrel with each other," Luiga told the outlet.

Management shuffles are inactive ongoing. GamesIndustry.biz learned that Private Division co-founder Ed Tomaszewski was appointed arsenic ZA/UM's caller president this week, though the workplace did not corroborate this assignment successful its statement.

The afloat connection fixed to GamesIndustry.biz tin beryllium work below:

"ZA/UM Studio contiguous released a connection to code caller squad dismissals that person sparked litigation and media coverage: Our caller dismissal of a fewer members of the ZA/UM Studio squad has led to ineligible filings and inaccurate quality coverage. While we are assured that ZA/UM volition prevail successful tribunal erstwhile each the facts are heard, we judge it is indispensable to code baseless claims and falsehoods, if lone to rightly support ZA/UM and support our employees.

"While progressive litigation limits what we tin stock publicly, we judge further accusation volition supply a much close representation fixed our erstwhile employees person neglected to notation cardinal facts to reporters, connected blogs, and successful different nationalist platforms. For clarity and accuracy, we are sharing the reasons for the justified firings of immoderate erstwhile ZA/UM Studio squad members:

● Limited to nary engagement successful their responsibilities and enactment – including not moving astatine each for astir 2 years portion inactive being paid by the workplace – and forcing colleagues to compensate for their deficiency of effort.
● Creating a toxic enactment situation that is antithetical to the ZA/UM civilization and squad productivity.
● Misconduct successful interacting with different colleagues that includes verbal maltreatment and sex discrimination.
● Attempts to illegally merchantability to different gaming companies ZA/UM’s intelligence spot with the purpose of undermining the remainder of the team.

"ZA/UM cannot and volition not tolerate egregious misconduct, adjacent from individuals who, on with the broader team, person contributed to a crippled that we are exceptionally arrogant of and that continues to seizure imaginations crossed the globe. In summation to creativity and innovation, ZA/UM besides stands for professionalism, kindness, decency, and fairness, which we expect from each our employees. It would beryllium shortsighted to judge thing less, arsenic we request squad players for the highly collaborative process that is creating games.

"The rumour that our determination to terminate the contracts of these individuals was taken for fiscal summation is wholly unfounded and does not successful immoderate mode bespeak the facts. It was a determination that had to beryllium taken for the wellbeing of the collective. Further, ZA/UM denies immoderate assertion of fiscal malfeasance oregon fraud that is being held against us. The immense bulk of profits from Disco Elysium person been invested backmost into the workplace successful bid to money our adjacent projects, which are presently successful development.

"We volition not fto the actions and comments of a vocal fewer distract from the important enactment of the studio. ZA/UM has tripled successful size from a twelvemonth agone to astir 100 employees portion retaining the immense bulk of the squad that worked connected Disco Elysium. We person built a passionate and originative squad of staggering endowment that continues to harvester storytelling, art, and exertion successful our efforts to elevate video games and redefine genres. We are excited to forge connected doing this with each the emotion and brilliance successful our hearts and minds. We person truthful overmuch much to amusement you."