A legal dispute between Disco Elysium studio ZA/UM and a former producer has been resolved.
Last year, ZA/UM has ousted several developers from the studio ‘involuntarily,’ leading to several lawsuits against the studio.
Now, per a court order (via GamesIndustry.biz) Kender has repaid debts owed to the studio and CEO Ilmar Kompus over legal fees from the lawsuit.
“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.”
Last year Helen Hindpere, Robert Kurvitz, and Aleksander Rostov, all left the studio. ZA/UM said that both Kurvits and Rostov eventually dropped their ‘unfair dismissal’ claims citing a lack of evidence.
In November 2022, Kurvitz filed a lawsuit against ZA/UM via Telomer, a company that saw Kurvitz as a board member. The lawsuit alleged that Kompus spent roughly $5.1 million to own a majority of ZA/UM.
“The facts and the law led to this outcome,” Kompus tells GI.biz. “We are pleased that Kender and his attorneys have chosen to withdraw their lawsuit — one that should never have been filed in the first place. Their decision affirms there was no basis for their accusations and that I have acted appropriately and responsibly, as underscored by the corporate records I provided.”
ZA/UM is actively ready to face any other lawsuits it may face going forward and that it expects those lawsuits to see a similar fate if other former employees attempt to sue the studio.
“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,” Kompus says. “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.”
