In a turn of events that's more surprising than finding a full HP potion in a random NPC’s mailbox, a slice of the team behind the cult classic Disco Elysium has dusted off their coding capes and joined forces with some industry heavyweights to whip up a brand new “spiritual successor” to the Bafta-snatching RPG. That’s right, folks—while Disco Elysium's sequel might have been axed faster than a newbie facing a final boss, the creative spirit of the game is being Frankensteined back to life in a new studio's lab, cleverly named Longdue.
Longdue is the newest kid on the block, a phoenix rising from the ashes of developer disputes and cancelled sequels. This plucky new studio is comprised of a dozen daring souls, some of whom cut their teeth on Disco Elysium itself. And because they clearly felt that wasn’t intimidating enough, they’ve also recruited alumni from little-known indie outfits like Bungie and Rockstar. You know, the underdogs behind tiny, inconsequential titles like Destiny, Halo, and Grand Theft Auto. Talk about assembling an Avengers-level squad for indie game development!
The press release for this upcoming psychogeographic RPG—which I assume means exploring the mindscapes of neurotic cartographers—promises a game that “explores the delicate interplay between the conscious and subconscious, the seen and unseen.” Players can expect to navigate a “constantly shifting landscape” shaped by the whims of their own psyche and external forces. It’s like Inception met Google Maps but decided to settle down in a gaming console. Intriguing, if somewhat pretentious, but if anyone can make you love the existential crisis of a landscape, it’s the folks who made tax forms thrilling in Disco Elysium.
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: Longdue’s conscious decision to clarify that Disco Elysium’s head honchos, Kurvitz and Rostov, are not involved in this new project. It's like starting a new Star Wars movie by saying, “Just so you know, George Lucas has nothing to do with this.” Bold move, Longdue, bold move. Instead, they've handed the narrative reins to Grant Roberts, a veteran from Bungie and Rocksteady, who’s now poised to prove that he can juggle the psychological depth of a narrative RPG without accidentally creating a supervillain.
Roberts’ vision for the game draws from a treasure trove of RPG classics, from Ultima to Planescape. This suggests a return to the narrative-rich, choice-driven storytelling that made Disco Elysium resemble what you’d get if Dostoevsky took up game design after a heavy night out. The promise is to weave these narrative threads into a tapestry where “inner worlds and external landscapes” beat in harmony like a well-oiled drum circle.
For those mourning the cancellation of Disco Elysium’s sequel, Longdue's announcement might feel like running into your ex at a party and realizing they got really fit. It’s complicated—you’re happy for them but also wondering what could have been. Meanwhile, the RPG community has perked up faster than a suburban mom hearing the blender at a margarita bar. The buzz is real, and the expectations are high, perhaps too high for a team daring to follow up on one of the most unique games in recent memory without its original masterminds.
But hey, in the world of video games, weirder things have happened—like finding out that the cake is a lie, or that Aerith can die. So, why not believe in a studio named after what sounds like a forgotten side quest in a Dickens novel? As Longdue gears up to deliver their take on the psychological depths of RPG storytelling, one thing's for sure: the gaming world is watching, popcorn in hand, ready to see if this new game can truly step out of the shadow of its colossal predecessor or if it will be just another NPC in the vast world of gaming.
In the end, whether this “spiritual successor” turns out to be the second coming of RPG Jesus or just another pretender to the throne, it’s going to be one heck of a show. Let’s just hope the game’s psychological depth includes a therapy mode because it sounds like we’re all going to need it.
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