Hopetown Reaches Playable Milestone Following Narrative Lead Departure
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Hopetown developer Longdue has confirmed the departure of original narrative lead Grant Roberts, while noting that former ZA/UM writer Martin Luiga has taken over and pushed the Disco Elysium inspired RPG's opening sequence into a playable state.
Development on the crowdfunded RPG Hopetown continues to move forward, though the project has experienced some behind-the-scenes shifts. Studio Longdue has confirmed that original narrative lead Grant Roberts departed the project in July 2025, just months after a successful Kickstarter campaign that more than doubled its initial funding goal. Roberts, a veteran writer with credits at Rocksteady and Bungie, previously helped shape the core vision of the game. Former ZA/UM writer Martin Luiga has since stepped into the narrative lead role to steer the project forward.
Despite the creative transition, Longdue reports significant momentum. According to updates shared with Rock Paper Shotgun by senior staff writer Mark Warren, the studio has finalized a playable opening sequence for the game. Luiga noted that the team has redesigned and thoroughly tested a new skills system drawing directly from his early writing experience on Disco Elysium. Hopetown casts players as a rogue journalist navigating a tense mining town, a premise that places it firmly in the narrative heavy RPG space.
Hopetown is far from the only project born from the massive creative diaspora following the internal conflicts at original studio ZA/UM. Multiple independent teams formed by former developers are currently building their own narrative-driven titles, ranging from Dark Math Games' ski resort murder mystery Tangerine Antarctic to projects from Summer Eternal and original leads Robert Kurvitz and Aleksander Rostov. While community excitement for these spiritual successors remains high, players and backers are watching closely to see which studios can successfully deliver on their ambitious promises.
Tags: Hopetown, Longdue, Disco Elysium, RPG, PC Gaming
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun