Summary of Investigation: Who’s Telling the Truth about Disco Elysium?

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00:00:00 - 01:00:00

The "Investigation: Who's Telling the Truth About Disco Elysium?" video explores the ongoing dispute between Robert Kurvitz, the lead writer of the successful game, and the company's current CEO, Ilmar Kompus, over accusations of Kompus being a crooked businessman who ousted the original creators of Disco Elysium for profits. The video delves into the details of the dispute, including allegations of poor behavior by Kurvitz, as well as scandals involving some of the investors in the company. The investigation also examines various transactions, the share structure of the new "Elysium" company, and Khan's justification for firing Kurvitz and two others. The video concludes with the interviewees discussing their experiences and inspirations while creating the game.

00:00:00 In this section, the video introduces the ongoing dispute between Robert Kurvitz, the lead writer of the hugely successful game Disco Elysium, and the company he helped found, Za/um. The dispute centers around accusations that the company was taken over by a crooked businessman who ousted the original creators of Disco Elysium in search of profits. The video delves into the details of the dispute, including allegations of poor behavior by Kurvitz within Za/um, as well as a list of reasons for his firing. With the future of Disco Elysium at risk, the stakes are high, and the video promises to explore both sides of the story in detail.
00:05:00 In this section, a court hearing regarding access to company documents related to Disco Elysium's ownership took place. Robert Kervitz's legal team argued that, as a minor shareholder, he deserves access to financial documentation that may prove the current CEO of Zaum, Ilmar Kompus, acted unlawfully. However, Zaum argued that Kervitz and Alexander Rostov, who recently set up a new company called Red Info Box Ltd., are future competitors of Zaum and have already received funding for a project that may have an unfair advantage when competing with Zaum's titles, including Disco Elysium. The judge rescheduled another hearing for September, and public opinion remains an important battle for both sides.
00:10:00 In this section, the video delves into the origins of Disco Elysium and its ties to Estonia's Zalm Cultural Association. The association was founded by writers and artists, including Robert Kurvitz, who started work on a novel set in the world of Elysium, which would later inspire the creation of a video game. Kurvitz and other members of the association later founded Fortress Occident, which would become ZA/UM and develop Disco Elysium. The company was initially owned by investors, including controversial Estonian figures like novelist and entrepreneur Kaur Kender and businessman Marcus Linnamäe. Kender's 17% stake was sold to a new investor, Gilmore Compass. The video also touches upon scandals involving some of the investors, such as Kender's controversial novel and his involvement with political debates on freedom of speech, as well as Linnamäe's success in pharmaceuticals and media and his company's majority ownership of Fortress Occident at the time.
00:15:00 In this section, the video discusses the Baku scandal, which involved Thomas Harvel and his associates misleading investors and misusing funds for purposes not laid out in any investment plan, resulting in the investors losing out on approximately 7 million euros in Estonia. While Harvel denied involvement in transferring money and profiting and could not confirm whether or not the original investors were repaid, he did become a Latvian resident and initiated bankruptcy proceedings there rather than in Estonia. Additionally, the video explores Harvel's past ties to koha capital and Groupivara, and how his decreasing involvement in those companies coincided with the scandal and court rulings. The video also touches on Harvel's role in ZA/UM Studio, which produced Disco Elysium, and how his past actions could have an impact on the present ownership and success of the game.
00:20:00 In this section of the video, the investigation delves into the ownership structure of the IP rights for Disco Elysium and the involvement of Anna Raymond, who owns a company called Yes Sir No Sir Limited that holds a 20% stake in the IP rights. Raymond is in a romantic relationship with Thomas Hovel, who was receiving tens of thousands of Euros every month through another company of hers in Estonia. While this may not necessarily be illegal, it raises questions about whether the other shareholders were aware of this arrangement. Furthermore, the scandal surrounding Marcus Liname's sale of his stake in the company to Ilmar Compass for 4.5 million euros suggests that Robert Kervitz and Alexander Rostov did not sign off on the transaction, which could be considered troubling.
00:25:00 In this section, the video explores some of the questionable transactional history of the British company Disco Elysium UK Limited. Kenda claims that Compass purchased the rights to an IP from zaum for one British pound but then sold it back to the company for nearly 5 million euros. This happened due to the money that was used to pay mm group the remaining three million euros to complete a deal, as well as to repay disco Elysium's loan, and presumably repay the 300,000 euros that Ilma himself put into the pot. The video speculates on various scenarios of what might have happened and notes that all the paperwork must be presented in court to determine the truth.
00:30:00 In this section of the transcript, the video discusses the legal battles that ensued between Kalkender, Ilmo Compass, and Thomas Harvel after Kalkender was put on a leave of absence from the studio for medical reasons and Kalkender took Ilmo Compass and Thomas Harvel to court in Estonia for alleged embezzlement of 4.8 million euros from Zoom. Although Kalkender at least publicly appeared to be satisfied with the outcome that Ilmo Compass and Thomas Harvel had repaid the sum of 4.8 million euros, Kalkender later sold his shares in the company to Ilmo Compass and walked away from the studio altogether. This section then moves on to a conversation with Ilmo Compass about the ownership of Zaum and the lack of written documentation about the decision to purchase a majority stake in the company.
00:35:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the transaction of purchasing mm Group shares through a loan of 1.2 million euros and their own personal finances, which were not related to the studio. They state that the transaction was approached with everyone's awareness and served the interests of all existing shareholders. They also mention the purchase and sale of the IP of a Futures Island project referred to as Pioneer to Zarom for 4.8 million euros. The speaker claims that the figures provided by Cower in his statements are only part of the story, and there are outstanding things that need to be settled with Robert and Rostov. They state that their contribution towards the shareholding in the new structure was much more than outlined in the transcript.
00:40:00 In this section, the video discusses the share structure of the new "Elysium" company that holds the IP for Disco Elysium 2. Robert Kurvitz, the creator of Disco Elysium, confirms that he tripled his holding in the company, while the new investors, including Elliott Management and Zaibatsu Interactive, also increased their shares. The video also mentions Thomas Hubble, an employee of ZA/UM, and his involvement in a venture capital firm with Kurvitz, as well as an Estonian company owned by his partner. The video raises concerns about Hubble's hidden involvement in ZA/UM and the potential conflict of interest. Kurvitz refutes these claims, but does not provide further details.
00:45:00 In this section, Elmo T. Kivistö, a representative of ZA/UM, defends Dennis Harma's involvement in the company despite his history of bankruptcy and unpaid debts. Kivistö notes that Dennis was part of a larger financial crisis over a decade ago and, from a current standpoint, has no shareholding in the studio. Kivistö maintains that all shareholders were aware of this arrangement and there was nothing hidden. However, there seems to be no documentation to prove this and Kivistö's insistence on an informal agreement is questionable. Furthermore, the financial connection between ZA/UM and Dennis' partner, Annie Raymond, raises questions about ethics and dishonest business practices.
00:50:00 In this section, the investigation turns to Omar Khan’s justifications for firing Robert Kurvitz, Alexander Rostov, and Helen Hindpere. Khan claims that the three disengaged from their responsibilities at work following the release of Disco Elysium, with Kurvitz contributing practically zero new words to the Final Cut, which was mostly written by Justin Keenan. Additionally, Khan claims that the three took more time away from the studio than was appropriate due to burnout, leaving other employees to pick up the slack. However, Khan was unable to provide specific examples of toxicity, verbal abuse, gender discrimination, or intellectual property theft by Kurvitz and the others during the interview. As a millionaire shareholder, Khan’s defense of his actions is not one of an employee, which is why Argo Tulik, a writer at ZA/UM and a member of the original ZA/UM Cultural Association with Kurvitz and Rostov, decided to share his own unique perspective on the situation with the investigation.
00:55:00 In this section, the interviewees discuss their experiences and inspirations while creating Disco Elysium. They talk about their love for table-top RPG games and how they aimed to keep the elements of those games while focusing more on narrative than mechanics. They also discuss the difficulties they faced while creating the game, such as working in a derelict building in Thailand, but how the experience was rewarding. Lastly, they touch on the number of writers credited in the game and how it was said that Robert wrote half of the total word count, which the interviewees dispute.

01:00:00 - 02:00:00

The video investigates the controversies surrounding the development team of Disco Elysium, focusing on allegations made against the game's lead creator, Robert Kurvitz. Former team members accuse Kurvitz of being manipulative and dishonest in his dealings, including trying to take control of the game's development and access the game's source code. The video also reveals the events leading up to the firing of Kurvitz and other key figures, including illegal activity and the buying and selling of the Disco Elysium IP. The interviewees discuss the intense effort put into developing Disco Elysium, including the sacrifices made by lead designer Robert Kurvitz and the creative pressure felt by the team, but also acknowledge the toxic work environment created by Kurvitz.

01:00:00 In this section of the video, a former writer for Disco Elysium discusses his relationship with the game's lead creator, Robert. The writer explains that he once viewed Robert as a god-like figure but eventually came to realize that their dynamic was unhealthy. He also notes that while Robert possesses charisma and can be an effective communicator, he lacks leadership skills and sometimes behaves inconsiderately towards others. The writer goes on to discuss how Robert would often dismiss entire sections of the writers' work and provide harsh criticism, which some may view as toxic behavior.
01:05:00 In this section, a former writer for the Disco Elysium game provides insight into claims by other former team members of not working while still being paid by the company. While acknowledging that the team was burnt out after working long hours for nine months leading up to the game's release, the writer notes that some work was still done in the ensuing months. However, the writer also suggests that more could have been done during that time. The writer also addresses claims made by Robert Rostov and Alexander Boberg about the game's ownership, stating that Rostov was instrumental in creating the game, but the claims being made are not necessarily true.
01:10:00 In this section, employees who worked on Disco Elysium spoke out about their experiences working with the game's co-creator Robert Kurvitz. While they acknowledge that Kurvitz was instrumental in designing the game, they suggest that he was also manipulative and dishonest in his dealings with them. Several employees, including studio technologist Casper Tamzalu and writer Justin Keenan, have gone on the record to support Argo Tuulik's allegations against Kurvitz and suggest that the issues at the studio may have been caused by Kurvitz himself, rather than other members of the team. They note that Kurvitz tended to create an inner circle of employees who had more privileges and that he was difficult to work with in general.
01:15:00 In this section, a former art lead at ZA/UM Studio talks about issues with the leadership’s work ethic and focus during the development of Disco Elysium’s Final Cut. The studio's director, Robert, wanted to take a two-month vacation, which created friction as it was not previously agreed upon; furthermore, neither he nor another leader, Rostov, were present to steer critical aspects of the studio culture in preparation for the upcoming year. The art lead comes to the conclusion that some of those in leadership positions had an "in-group" who received more favorable treatment. Indeed, Robert decided to test two junior writers to see if they were ready for the core team to work on the game’s sequel, which had already created an unfair situation as they had mostly written content independently for the Final Cut without proper guidance.
01:20:00 In this section of the video, a former employee of Disco Elysium's game studio talks about the misleading feedback that was given to junior writers about their work on the concept and design of a major quest for the sequel. The former employee had arranged for Robert, the head of the studio, to review the work and give feedback, but Robert never looked at the work and instead asked the former employee to deliver feedback that was completely unnecessary and misleading. The former employee was further frustrated with Robert's decision to take a two-month vacation before work on the sequel started, which caused delays and uncertainties for the team. Robert later had a conversation with him and other people where he expressed his belief that the project would be his masterpiece and that he could not report to anyone on it.
01:25:00 In this section, former lead writer for Disco Elysium, Robert Kurvitz, is accused of trying to take control of the game's development and get access to the game's source code. He reportedly wanted to shelve the sequel and work on a smaller project where he would have full creative control, with the hope that his successful completion of that project would regain the executive producers' trust and allow him to take over as creative director of the sequel. The allegations stem from a dispute between the game's developers and investors, which has led to death threats and harassment directed towards the development team.
01:30:00 In this section of the video, the focus shifts to the individuals at the core of the controversy - Robert Kurvitz, Alexander Rostov, and Helen Hin-Pear. The team behind the video had flown to San Francisco to interview these three people. The video then provides a timeline of events leading up to the dismissal of the trio, including the redistribution of shares in ZA/UM Studio and the development of New Elysium. Robert and Rostov are alleged to have asked for a copy of Disco Elysium's source code and have been accused of trying to steal the IP of the game. The three individuals dispute these claims, and the team behind the video notes that they have agreed not to release the full interviews due to concerns of potential legal issues.
01:35:00 In this section, the interviewees discuss the intense effort put into developing Disco Elysium, including the sacrifices made by lead designer Robert Kurvitz and the creative pressure felt by the team. They discuss the contract signed with the studio and the conditions surrounding the use of the IP, including a limitation of three games or a time limit. They also discuss the pressure felt during the development of the Final Cut and the decision to enter into a permanent IP solution, which they now regret due to the lack of legal representation. Despite these challenges, they express pride and exuberance over the success of the game.
01:40:00 In this section of the video, a former writer for Disco Elysium discusses the stress of the game’s release and how the deadline impacted their work. They were shocked by the abruptness of the writing lock and release date, which came only two weeks before the deadline. They were told by someone who had not done their job as a producer that everything would be fine, despite having missed the deadline by a month and being accused of lying and laziness. Meanwhile, the lead writer was accused by other writers at the time of not being present and not writing anything new for the Final Cut release, claims that she disputes and says were only made after she started speaking out about her mistreatment by the company.
01:45:00 In this section of the video, there is a discussion about the demotion of key figures within the development team of Disco Elysium. According to Robert Kurvitz, both he and Vladimir Rostov were demoted from their leadership positions by July 2022. However, some of the other employees at ZA/UM have refuted this account, stating that Robert pushed Rostov to step down as art director to take over that position himself. Eventually, a system was adopted where each creative lead had a counterpart in an administrative role, and Robert's role was similar to Casper's role as Rostov's creative partner. However, Robert began to push against his new position, riling up Rostov to take back their directorial roles, which were not wanted by the rest of the team. Additionally, Ilmar had bought out Marcus's share of the company and had majority control of the company by July 2022, which Robert and other employees did not know about at the time.
01:50:00 In this section, the investigation reveals the events leading up to the firing of Robert and Rostov, who wanted to be more involved in the company as employees and shareholders. Robert requested access to a range of company documents, which Ilmar eventually stopped replying to. The events culminated in a meeting meant to happen between Ilmar, Robert, and Rostov, but shortly after the meeting with Wilma, Ilmar fires both Robert and Rostov. Rostov was in a state of shock and did not know what to do; he called the NHS for mental health services. The investigation also uncovered illegal activity, such as a loan agreement to loan 1.2 million out of the Estonian company for the benefit of Ilmar Campos. Furthermore, Marcos would get 4.8 million, but they only paid 1.2 million when they sold some bogus IP to the company.
01:55:00 In this section, the individuals being interviewed discuss the alleged transaction involving the buying and selling of the Disco Elysium IP, stating that it's highly illegal, and also speak about Annie Raymond's involvement in the company and the financial links she may have had with Tana Tavo's partner. Curvitz and Rostov reveal that they had been given an offer to be bought out from Soy for 2.5 million, but they did not accept it. They also address the allegations made by Elmore and Zaum officially, stating that the reasons given for their firing were not related to toxicity but due to accusations of trying to steal the IP and selling it to other companies, which they deny.

02:00:00 - 02:25:00

The investigation about the controversy surrounding Disco Elysium examines various claims made by parties involved. Former employees of the studio have spoken out about the unpleasant experiences they had while working there, accusing lead writer and director Robert Kurvitz of poor management, harassment, and bullying, while some criticize the communication breakdown during development and alleged toxic behavior by other team members. While Kurvitz denies these claims, the response suggests a lack of empathy towards those who shared their concerns, raising concerns about his management style. Amidst this controversy, the video's host encourages people to let go of their interests and move beyond the dispute, recognizing worker solidarity and not attacking people.

02:00:00 In this section of the video, the investigation delves into the claims made by ZAM and the truth behind them. Robert Kervitz denies speaking to companies such as Microsoft, Ubisoft, and game designer Josh Sawyer, whom he has never met. However, the only name that comes up in conversation between ZAM and plays is Larian Studios, the developers of Divinity and Baldur's Gate III, and the mechanics of IP theft confound the reporter. Additionally, several former employees of the studio have come forward to speak of the unpleasant experience working there and the toxicity that existed. While Argo Tulik, a founding member of the studio, is seen as a more credible source, Robert Kervitz mentions the pain of severed relationships and points out that the production of the game did not go smoothly.
02:05:00 In this section of the video, the interviewer asks about a period of time when the game developers of Disco Elysium experienced burnout and took a break from development. The interviewer addresses the fact that some of the developers did not receive the same benefit of an extended break and suggests that communication during the development of the final release, Final Cuts, broke down. The lead developer explains that they experienced a great deal of personal distress and needed rest and psychotherapy. The conversation touches on the fact that some people who put extensive effort into the game may have felt left behind during this time.
02:10:00 In this section of the video, a former employee of ZA/UM discusses the perception of a vacation that some staff members took in Cornwall during the development of Disco Elysium. The interviewee explains that while some people saw it as a privilege, it was merely the allotted time given to employees by UK law. Furthermore, they believe that rumors and allegations of toxic behavior from the lead writer and director Robert Kurvitz have been exaggerated and manipulated to sell a story. The interviewee also clarifies that they have never claimed that Disco Elysium was solely their work and that they do acknowledge the contributions of the other employees.
02:15:00 In this section of the transcript, the conversation turns to a message sent by Thomas Harvel to Robert Kurvitz in June 2021, which suggests that claims made by Kurvitz, Rostov, and Pair regarding their conduct within the studio not being questioned until much later in the timeline are not true. The message references a video call meeting between senior staff at Zaum that Robert had not been invited to, but Helen Hin-Pair had. Following the call, it is claimed that Robert took Helen's headset to interject into the call unprompted. The message suggests that Robert was acting in a bully-like manner, which is not appropriate for a professional environment. Additionally, Helen speaks up about how her gender has been used to advance someone else's agenda and false narratives. Robert is given the opportunity to respond to these serious allegations made by former colleagues, such as asking the company's Chief technologist for the Disco Elysium source code, with plans to lead Zam and start a new studio.
02:20:00 In this section, the transcript excerpts highlight some serious allegations against Disco Elysium's creator Robert Kurvitz, including the claim that he left out some of their team members from the project after they had already uprooted their lives to work on it, as well as accusations of poor management, harassment, and death threats towards other members of the team from the game's community. However, Kurvitz's response is mainly about his belief that the controversy is a cover-up for criminal activities committed by other individuals based on his suspicions. Despite the importance of resolving any illegal activities, the response shows little empathy towards those who have shared their grievances and experiences, which is a cause for concern regarding the creator's management style.
02:25:00 In this section, the video's host reflects on the Disco Elysium controversy, acknowledging that it's an enormous mess and that everyone involved is hurting, friendships have been torn apart, and there's real hatred on both sides. The controversy has produced a tense atmosphere surrounding the game's community, where even received updates on guild mode are interpreted as protests to voice dissatisfaction with what happened to Robert Rostov and Helen. Furthermore, the hundred or so people working at ZA/UM, including the very newest employees, are strongly affected by this controversy, causing them to worry about their futures, and many of them are watching the video in groups to seek support from each other and brace themselves for being caught in the crossfire. The host concludes the video by inviting everyone to let go of their interests and move beyond the dispute, recognizing worker solidarity and not attacking people, and acknowledging that beautiful things occur when we express kindness and love to others.