Disco Elysium spiritual successor is in development at Longdue
A dev team called Longdue announced that they are developing a “spiritual successor” to Disco Elysium, a popular modern RPG launched in 2019.
The actual Disco Elysium sequel has been canceled, and that’s why Longdue believes it can call its own game a “spiritual successor.” It’s a new psychological RPG, set in a game world conceived by the leads of the now canceled Disco Elysium sequel.
London-based Longdue recently formed as a new independent studio that has raised seed investment to create an RPG that will continue Disco Elysium’s award-winning legacy and represent a bold new artistic endeavor that aims to trailblaze in the narrative-first cRPG space.
While the new team is calling this a “spiritual successor,” it’s worth nothing that the developers of the original Disco Elysium, Robert Kurvitz and Aleksander Rostov, are not involved in the new title.
Longdue is already a dozen strong, including team members that worked on the original Disco Elysium and its unreleased sequel. The team is also drawing talent from across the industry, including veterans from Bungie, Rockstar, and Brave At Night.
A Psychogeographic RPG with narrative depth
Longdue’s debut RPG explores the delicate interplay between the conscious and subconscious, the seen and unseen. Set in a world where choices ripple between the character’s psyche and environment, players will navigate a constantly shifting landscape, shaped by both internal and external forces.
The game introduces a psychogeographic RPG mechanic, where every decision reshapes both the world and the characters that inhabit it. In this experience, the lines between the mind and the environment blur, colliding and transforming with each choice, leading players through an ever-evolving narrative landscape.
While Longdue’s debut project draws from the creative energy and legacy of Disco Elysium and other beloved RPGs, like Planescape: Torment, it’s also crafted to stand independently as a meaningful addition to the RPG genre. Longdue is committed to making games that carry the weight of thoughtful design and engaging storytelling, positioning the studio as a steady, dependable voice in RPG development, the company said.
Longdue aims to create games that resonate emotionally and intellectually. The studio is here to build a reputation for consistently delivering quality, with a focus on depth and narrative integrity. This is just the beginning of Longdue’s journey to become a trusted name in the greater RPG canon.
“At Longdue, we’re inspired by decades of classic RPGs, from Ultima and Wizardry, through Fallout and Planescape, to the justifiably adored Disco Elysium,” said narrative director Grant Roberts, in a statement. “We’re excited to continue that legacy with another narrative-first, psychological RPG, where the interplay between inner worlds and external landscapes is the beating heart of the experience. We’re building a world-class team for a world-class game that will tell a world-class story, and we can’t wait to show you more.”
Longdue investor representative Riaz Moola said in a statement, “We are excited to back the work of an incredible team of creative talent and support the development of a new type of narrative-first video game experience and associated technology to improve the creation of these games across the video game industry.”
I asked how this was a spiritual sequel if the original founders were not working on it. A spokesperson said the game world has been conceived by staff who worked on the original Disco Elysium and the team includes multiple people who worked on the canceled Disco Elysium sequel.
“Multiple people who worked on Disco Elysium’s canceled sequel are working on the game. It’s a spiritual successor in the sense that it is a narrative-driven cRPG that consciously draws on some of the elements that resonated with people in the first game – the combination of deep, layered world-building, psychological complexity and intelligent storytelling,” the spokesperson said.
“Having said all that, Longdue is very much its own entity with its own vision that will be creating a brand new world and looking for ways to push boundaries in new directions, rather than just replicating what’s already been done,” the spokesperson said.
There are about a dozen people on the team and the entity has raised money, but they’re not saying how much yet. They’re also not disclosing the name of the game yet. Moola (chairman) and Roberts (narrative director) are the only staff being revealed now.
