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Disco Elysium directors claim Tutreke OU majority stake taken illegally

Robert Kurvitz and Aleksander Rostov say the money used by Tutreke OU to purchase the majority stake was 'taken illegally from Zaum Studio.'

Morgan Shaver

November 9, 2022 12:50 PM

ZA/UM

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The situation with Disco Elysium developer ZA/UM continues to heat up, with a new statement shared today by former game director Robert Kurvitz and art director Aleksander Rostov. According to Kurvitz and Rostov, the money used to acquire a majority stake in Zaum Studio was “taken illegally from Zaum Studio OÜ itself.”

Kurvitz and Rostov share in their statement how, as soon as Kompus and Haavel became majority shareholders, they were “quickly excluded from daily operations, our employment was terminated, and our access to the company’s information was shut off.” Following this, the two were fired weeks after they began requesting documents and financial data, “which is still being kept from us.”

They go on to note that they’re currently in the process of reviewing their legal options both in terms of civil claims and possible criminal charges in Estonia and the United Kingdom. That aside, Kurvitz and Rostov also share how it’s been an extremely difficult time for them and others at ZA/UM in general, touching on being fired and cut off from their life’s work, and how they feel the company they built has “been looted.”

Overall, with these new developments, it'll be interesting to see what happens between Tütreke OÜ and former members of ZA/UM. For more on Disco Elysium, be sure to read some of our previous coverage including Disco Elysium writers suing studio ZA/UM after being forced out, and why Shacknews found Disco Elysium’s “Final Cut” expansion among the best of 2021.

Morgan Shaver

Senior Editor

Morgan is a writer from the frozen wastelands of Maine who enjoys metal music, kpop, horror, and indie games. They're also a Tetris fanatic who's fiercely competitive in games like Tetris 99... and all games in general. But mostly Tetris. You can follow Morgan on Twitter @Author_MShaver.