ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies Interview – ZA/UM Studio Talks Writing, Audio & Espionage

Releasing this May, the minds behind the groundbreaking Disco Elysium: The Final Cut are back for an encore with ZERO: PARADES: For Dead Spies – an Espionage RPG featuring a tormented operant and one final assignment.

Briefing us on its writing, audio, and espionage roots, we recently joined ZA/UM Studio’s Siim “Kosmos” Sinamäe and Honey Watson at GDC 2026 to learn more about CASCADE’s upcoming mission…

ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies Interview – ZA/UM Studio Talks Writing, Audio & Espionage

Gamers Heroes

I really appreciate the time today!

I know you were at Day of the Devs, and I know that you’ve got a new demo out right now. 

You have a very strong community, with a lot of people that are very passionate about strong writing in games.

What made you want to take on an Espionage RPG angle for this release? 

Siim “Kosmos” Sinamäe

I would say that we wanted to do something different!

We felt that the espionage genre allows for the type of storytelling we would like to do. 

We were also getting a bit tired of the police story – there’s only so far you can go with the police stereotypes and such devices. 

It’s just a very fertile breeding ground – if you read about the fiction of spies and the reality of spies, the reality is often much stranger than the fiction.

Gamers Heroes

I completely understand! There are a lot of great espionage works out there too. 

Is there anything your team was truly inspired by? 

You’re obviously doing your own thing, but anything that you wanted to tap into – whether it be a TV show, movie, or something else –  that you wanted to basically build upon and create your own vision?

Siim “Kosmos” Sinamäe

We drew upon many different sources! 

Not only did we draw upon the works of Ursula K. Le Guin, we also drew upon John le Carré. 

We also really enjoyed this French show called Libero, which has an awesome American version called The Agency.

We were drawn to this kind of spy fiction that is not necessarily like Jason Bourne or James Bond.

Gamers Heroes

That actually leads me to my next point…

Talking espionage, you’re talking James Bond – and there are so many different Bonds.

You’ve got games like the upcoming 007 First Light that touches upon the origins of Bond, you’ve got Roger Moore, and then you’ve got Pierce Brosnan – they all have a different type of energy.

What kind of went into the design of the agent CASCADE? 

I know players of ZERO PARADES can have different types of elements that include analytical, and even anxiety – but let’s not have that last one today! 

What would you say goes into your ideal espionage character?

Siim “Kosmos” Sinamäe

For us, the ideal character has to be someone who is deeply human.

Spies themselves have to wear all these masks, and they themselves are somewhere hidden within.

The work a spy does take its toll on them. 

For us, it was about the character who is deeply human – and there are many more spy operations that fail than those that succeed, you know? 

“What is the weakest link?”

That is always the human element. 

Gamers Heroes

I know exactly what you’re talking about – that human element is what we need more of these days. 

So on that note, I know there was the recent Steam Next Fest demo – what have you noticed when it comes play styles you’ve seen?

Whether through playthroughs on Twitch or YouTube, have you noticed any patterns? Were there any people went pure “Paragon” or “Renegade?”

When you get games that are deeply human, the human side comes out when it comes to choices.

When I’m playing these types of games, I tend to go for the same choices – it also gives great insight into the community!

Siim “Kosmos” Sinamäe

When it comes to what we’ve seen online and how we play in-house, that there are a lot of goodie two-shoes.

Gamers Heroes

That’s me alright! [laughs]

Siim “Kosmos” Sinamäe

Then there are the spies that want to spy, no matter the price – it’s all about the job. 

Of course, people also tend to consider what options we present to them, and they may evolve to become a spy different to what they first envisioned.

It’s a very constrained existence for the spy – they are very much in service of any current reality they are in.

They can’t just back flip out the situation that’s around them!

Gamers Heroes

Tapping into that community side… 

I say this a lot, but there’s strength in community.

You’ve got a devout community – there are so many playthroughs of the demo on YouTube, and you’ve got your fans. 

What’s it like interacting with the community for ZERO PARADES? What are some key insights when it comes to your biggest fans? 

Siim “Kosmos” Sinamäe

The ZA/UM community has been so positive! 

We’re very happy to see that. 

Working on any game for a long time, you know, you kind of lose sight of what is it is that we are making and whether people like it.

I’m very glad to see that people like it! 

I think that we are much more, let’s say “capable” at interacting with the community these days than our previous project.

We are more experienced, and we can draw upon more industry experience as well.

It was great to see the streams, with people reading some of the lines to themselves. 

We are really happy with the writing, the art, the music – everything like that. 

Community is extremely important to us – and I think our community is filled with people really love RPGs and people who love great writing. 

They say the bar for writing video games has been quite low. Our mission has always been to take literature into video games and raise that.

I would say people who enjoy stories, storytelling, and maybe anti-hero stories a bit as well, right?

Gamers Heroes

You hit the nail on the head! There are definitely fans out there. 

They’re looking for deeper writing – and that human writing, as you mentioned. 

That actually leads me to my next point… 

I know you have Devcast IMPRINT podcast, with three entries so far [now four] – they’re all great! 

I appreciate you providing a candid look into its development, providing key insights every episode. 

What inspired their creation in the first place, and what are some favorite moments recording each one?

Honey Watson

I think my favorite podcast moment was definitely when Mikey decided to come in and just totally steal the show and crash everything! 

He’s an audio guy and did lots of the voices on Disco Elysium. 

He’s also doing some voices in ZERO PARADES – he’s such a character. 

He just came in; it was just me and the Narrative Director doing the podcast, and he just completely stole the show. 

He started telling us what’s what about all our characters – it was really fun!

Gamers Heroes

That’s exactly what I like to hear! 

And people feed off that energy – that’s why they tune in each time, you know?

So mentioning Disco Elysium, I know it originally came out in 2019, with the Final Cut released in 2021. 

The gaming landscape has definitely changed in the last five years; like you said, people are craving that human writing. 

There are also recent releases like Esoteric Ebb that cite your work as an inspiration – it’s fantastic!

So again, you’re doing your own unique thing, but where are some of the key learnings you’ve had since the original 2019 release? 

Siim “Kosmos” Sinamäe

You could say the way we consume media has changed…

I would say the way we consume short form content is more prevalent in today’s society. 

At the same time, there is the text we are able to keep inside our heads.

We don’t have as much patience or concentration – it is very different to 2019.

In 2019, Twitter was quite big – people were used to 140, then 280 characters. It’s quite a lot of words. 

We’re now more used to short-form content. 

I wouldn’t say that we all need to feature short-form content when writing, but we take into account the reality of:

“What is the level of intractability in the world at the moment?” 

We’re used to doing a lot of clicks, tapping things, moving on.

So it informed us, in some ways, on how many choices the player should encounter per hour, and how will they feel so engaged to the story in a way they will say:

“I don’t want to look at my phone.” 

I believe some TV series are already taking into account that people want to look at their phones, and then they’re writing in:

“Okay, repeat the dialog multiple times.”

Gamers Heroes

You’ve got to respect the viewer! I know exactly what you’re talking about. 

It’s definitely changing, and you do have a good point. There’s Twitter and then there’s also new networks like Bluesky.

I know short form content is all the rage these days too. 

Siim “Kosmos” Sinamäe

I have younger friends – they’re very varied like we used to be when we were young.

I think if a young person is into writing, they are into the game. 

If a young person is into RPGs, they will also be into the game. 

Gamers Heroes

I know what you mean! Putting on my corporate hat: “It reaches many verticals.”

Music is also a big part of ZA/UM’s games – with Disco Elysium, you have the English band Sea Power doing the music.

With the demo of ZERO PARADES, I had to put on my Sennheisers – it was truly incredible! 

How are you looking to tap into music with this release?

Siim “Kosmos” Sinamäe

Our Audio Director, the musicians we work with, and audio people are so amazing – it’s such a joy! 

I have to say that I have held off playing with audio for some time, just so it will be ready and I can dive into it fully.

Honey Watson

There are a lot of musicians on the narrative team, and our Lead Writer has actually written and performed. 

Music is a huge part of this game!

Gamers Heroes

I’m so glad you agree!

Keeping it short and sweet, what’s the next major milestone you can talk about regarding this release?

Not that I want to get in anybody in trouble… 

Travis Shrodes [PR Representative]

The podcast will continue going once a month, and you’ll see an update soon!

You’ll see that oftentimes that it’ll align with the assets and the interviews and things that we’re putting out at the same time.

When we were talking about the art, we’re focusing on putting more of the key art out there, putting out more screenshots and things. 

Hearing directly from the people involved, their passion, their enthusiasm – that’s what we really want to get out there. 

Gamers Heroes

Absolutely – I look forward to it!

ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies will release for the PC via Steam, the Epic Games Store, and GOG on May 21. The title will also make its way to the PlayStation 5 later this year.

One can also learn more about ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies via its official website, and can also check out the demo via its official Steam page through April 13.

For those feeling social, be sure to follow the official Twitter/X, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Bluesky social media channels.

The post ZERO PARADES: For Dead Spies Interview – ZA/UM Studio Talks Writing, Audio & Espionage appeared first on GamersHeroes.