adminZA/UM layoffs have affected 32 employees following the release of Zero Parades: For Dead Spies. The studio said the game’s commercial performance did not support maintaining its current workforce, with employees across all departments impacted.
Image credit: ZA/UM
ZA/UM layoffs follow the release of Zero Parades
In a statement shared on social media, the developer explained that revenue from its latest title was not enough to sustain a studio of its existing size. ZA/UM said the changes would reshape the company, while its artistic ambitions would remain in place.
The announcement does not detail which roles or teams were affected, or provide a breakdown of the 32 positions. For readers following the game’s development, the workforce reduction is separate from any specific announcement about the title’s availability or future support.
ZA/UM said it consulted representatives of the ZA/UM Workers’ Alliance as part of the redundancy process. The union represents UK staff and is affiliated with the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB). Its members have previously described their goal as creating more opportunities for workers to take part in discussions with studio management.
Earlier job cuts at the studio
The latest reductions follow a round of layoffs in 2024, when approximately 20 employees were affected. That decision came after ZA/UM cancelled three games, including a Disco Elysium sequel and an expansion.
ZA/UM president Ed Tomaszewski said the studio had reassigned staff to other projects after the first two cancellations. The cancellation of the expansion ultimately led to job losses, which he attributed to the financial pressures facing an independent developer.
Tomaszewski also said the studio had taken on more projects than it could deliver at once after the success of Disco Elysium. He described the experience as a difficult lesson in understanding the team’s capacity and making decisions as projects changed.
What the announcement means for ZA/UM
The studio’s statement frames the current cuts as a response to the commercial performance of Zero Parades: For Dead Spies, rather than a change to its stated creative aims. However, the announcement confirms a substantial reduction across departments, and does not give further details about the employees affected.
For anyone tracking the company, the key points are the confirmed total of 32 roles, the studio-wide scope of the cuts, and the involvement of the Workers’ Alliance in the redundancy process. ZA/UM layoffs also come after the cancellations and job losses reported in 2024, highlighting the financial uncertainty that can affect independent studios when project plans and commercial results change.
