Summer Eternal
 | |
| Industry | Video games |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2024 |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | Zagreb, Croatia |
| Website | https://summereternal.com/ |
Summer Eternal is a video game developer based in Zagreb, Croatia. It was co-founded in 2024 by Argo Tuulik and Dora Klindžić, former employees of the Disco Elysium developer ZA/UM, as well as Aleksandar Gavrilović,[1] owner of independent game studio Gamechuck.[2] As of 2026, several former ZA/UM staff members collaborate with Summer Eternal, including writer Olga Moskvina, concept artist Anastasia Ivanova, graphic designer Michael Oswell, audio designer/writer Andrus Laansalu, and programmer Jaagup Irve (credited as author.)[3][4][5][6][7]
History
[edit]Summer Eternal was first publicly revealed on 11 October 2024, and is one of several studios founded by former ZA/UM staff following the release of Disco Elysium.[8][9][10] Its first press release included the founding members' manifesto and a breakdown of the studio's worker-run structure.[3]
In September 2025, the studio announced the title of its first role-playing video game, Red Rooster. More information about the project is to be revealed in the studio's first anthology, Summer Eternal Anthology Volume One, to be released in 2026.[11]
Organization
[edit]Summer Eternal is organized as a cooperative; creatives have a 50% stake in the company, collaborators 25%, investors 20%, and players 5%.[12] The 5% "player owned" stake is formally held by a non-profit organization. Registered players can assist in the organization and investments of the studio, but do not receive any share in company profits.[1]
References
[edit]- 1 2 Litchfield, Ted (24 September 2026). "Experimental RPG developer Summer Eternal: 'We're giving away 5% of our studio to you, the Players' in order to 'mend the trust broken in this industry a thousand times over'". PC Gamer. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
- ↑ "Aleksandar Gavrilovic". archive.fosdem.org. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
- 1 2 Evans-Thirlwell, Edwin (11 October 2024). "Sure, why not - third group of former Disco Elysium devs announce "revolutionary new RPG studio"". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
- ↑ "Disco Elysium writer launches third splinter dev, Summer Eternal". Game Developer. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
- ↑ "ZGDW 2026". www.zagrebdesignweek.com. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
- ↑ "Jutarnji list - Umjetnički kolektiv iz Zagreba pobunio se protiv gejming establišmenta te radi na svojem prvom naslovu". www.jutarnji.hr (in Croatian). 16 April 2026. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
- ↑ "Disco Elysium - Credits". IGDB.com. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
- ↑ Litchfield, Ted (11 October 2024). "This is the Disco Elysium successor to get excited about: Multiple writers from the original announce a manifesto to create an RPG 'with complexity and ambition to rival our wretched and wonderful world'". PC Gamer. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
- ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (19 November 2024). "The Wild Story Behind Disco Elysium's Spiritual Successors: Allegations, Legal Threats, and a USB Stick". IGN. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
- ↑ Carpenter, Nicole (18 October 2024). "The many studios looking to continue Disco Elysium's legacy". Polygon.com. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
- ↑ Litchfield, Ted (30 September 2025). "Summer Eternal, one of the most exciting studios to come out of the Disco Elysium fallout, will announce its first game exclusively through 'the analog medium' of a vinyl record and a book of art, essays, and dev diaries". PC Gamer. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
- ↑ "Former Disco Elysium Devs Embrace Worker/Player-Owned Structure To Bring 'True Democracy' To Game Development". Aftermath. 30 October 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2026.