Ex-ZA/UM Devs Unveil Red Rooster: An Incendiary RPG Refusing to Be a Disco-Like
The creative minds who shaped Revachol have officially resurfaced, and they have no intention of living in the shadow of their past masterpiece. Summer Eternal, the worker-owned cooperative founded by key Disco Elysium writers and developers including Argo Tuulik and Dora Klindžić, has officially unveiled its debut title: Red Rooster.
An Incendiary Physics-Based RPG Forging Its Own Path
Right out of the gate, the studio makes its creative stance crystal clear: Red Rooster is deliberately not designed as a spiritual successor or a so-called "Disco-like." As the developers put it, "You need to turn away from the ruin and reach for the new."
Described as an "incendiary, physics-based RPG," the game is set within the urban border archipelago of Arta-Tantor. Players step into the shoes of Redrick Roost, a white-collar felon turned arson investigator. Rather than relying solely on narrative skill checks, the game places material physics, combustion, and flame propagation at the core of its investigative systems.
The reveal was uniquely orchestrated through the physical Summer Eternal Anthology Vol. 1, a 500-page companion book accompanied by a dedicated vinyl record.
Find Disco Elysium The Final Cut Best Deals→
Worker-Owned Freedom After ZA/UM Legal Battles
Following the bitter legal disputes and corporate collapse at ZA/UM, Summer Eternal is operating under an entirely worker-owned structure. With zero external investors or corporate shareholders dictating creative direction, the team retains full autonomy over its labor and intellectual property, positioning Red Rooster as one of the most intriguing entries on the upcoming RPG release calendar.
My Take
What an immense relief to see these authors firmly reject the lazy temptation of cloning their previous hit. Since Revachol conquered the RPG world, every attempt to copy that formula has felt hollow and derivative. Seeing the genuine creative minds behind it burn everything down, rebuild as a worker-owned cooperative, and pursue a brand-new concept driven by physical fire and investigation is easily the most punk and invigorating move in modern gaming. I cannot wait to see how this creative defiance feels in motion.
SEO consultant for over 20 years and digital entrepreneur, Charles 'Grimtag' Ronchain is the founder of Pro-Gamer.gg, Retrocharting.com, and Gamescharting.com. A competitive gamer, streamer, and retro game collector, he has worked in the video game industry for over 15 years, notably as a consultant for leading game price comparison platforms. Passionate about real-time performance data and gaming technology, he analyzes competitive esports, gaming hardware benchmarks, and creator workflows on Pro-Gamer.gg with an authentic player perspective.
