BACK THE GAME
Designed by some of the team behind Disco Elysium, Hopetown is a narrative-first RPG where words are weapons, every choice leaves a mark, and you’ll make your own truth. Explore a world shaped by your thoughts, and unravel the story before it unravels you.
Wishlisting helps the project grow, keeps you updated, and tells Steam this is a game worth watching.
HOPETOWN
A mining town on the brink. A story that rewrites itself.
In Hopetown, you step into the shoes of a fallen journalist sent to cover up a catastrophe — and discover something far more dangerous beneath the surface.
You’ll dig through lies, expose buried truths, and decide what story the world believes. Every word you write shifts alliances, emotions, and the shape of reality itself.
Inspired by modern narrative classics like Disco Elysium and Kentucky Route Zero, Hopetown blends psychological storytelling with choice-driven gameplay where your conversations are your combat.
“I am pleased to share my experiences with Longdue to help them craft the narrative and systems for Hopetown, playing to the strengths that the narrative RPG genre has achieved thus far and attempting to innovate upon them to tell a rich story based in equal parts on what has been, what is and what could be. I am confident that the team can deliver a worthy addition to the canon of Western RPGs. I call upon the fans of the RPG and adventure genre to help us make the game.”
— Martin Luiga
Founding member of the ZA/UM Cultural Association
and writer of seven characters in Disco Elysium.
A STORY-RICH RPG SET IN
A POST-FLARE WORLD
Decades after a solar flare fractured civilization, humanity rebuilt itself through industry and ambition. Now, in the mining settlement of Hopetown, a rare element called quicksilver promises wealth and power, but nothing here glitters without cost.
When disaster strikes the mines, you’re sent to find out what happened, bury what shouldn’t be found, and keep the peace before everything collapses again.
But the deeper you dig, the stranger it gets.
Use your journalistic instincts to twist the truth or expose it. Publish articles to influence factions, spark chaos, or maintain control.
Your thoughts, your choices, your story — all ripple outward. What you uncover will change the town. What you decide will change you.
“Having overseen the team of 15 that was credited with ‘saving’ Disco Elysium and which worked on it for nearly six years, pre- and post-release, I’m excited to work with the Longdue team to create a rich RPG experience to serve fans of the genre.”
— Piotr Sobolewski
Lead the technical team behind Disco Elysium.
IN THE MEDIA
Hopetown has already drawn attention across the gaming world for its bold narrative design, surreal tone, and stellar creative team — including contributors to Disco Elysium, Baldur's Gate 3, The Witcher 3, and more.
HOPETOWN features on various platforms; such as The Guardian
Disco Elysium ‘spiritual successor’ in development at new video game studio
Hopetown Brings Back Disco Elysium's Narrator And A Founding Member Of ZA/UM
HOPETOWN features on various platforms; such as The Guardian
“A worthy addition to the canon of narrative RPGs.”
— Martin Luiga
Founding member of the ZA/UM Cultural Association
and writer of seven characters in Disco Elysium.
Late pledges for Hopetown are now open on Kickstarter.
Support the project to claim exclusive rewards, get early updates, and help us build a new legacy of narrative RPGs, made with empathy, honesty, and grit.
Longdue is a collective of storytellers, artists, and developers building worlds where conversation, consequence, and character come first.
Our debut project, Hopetown, brings together a team of veterans and emerging talent from across the industry — people who believe games can be strange, human, and deeply personal.
Astri Lohne has worked as an artist and illustrator professionally for almost a decade with studios like Blizzard, Wizards of the Coast and Sharkmob. She's aways been a devotee of single-player, narrative-driven games, and jumped at the opportunity to bring her experience and passion to creating a new world.
Daniel Silverthorn is a freewheeling writer who's zigzagged through studio animation, journalism and underground theatre. He's devoted to bold storytelling and eager to bring Longdue's vision to life.
Grant Roberts has been an RPG fanatic since the first Ultimas and Bard's Tales, designing and writing games for over 20 years. Along the way, he's voiced an alien slug, shipped a Marvel MMO, adapted an Iñupiaq story into a BAFTA-winning puzzle platformer, and elated/ enraged the fans of Destiny and DC Comics.
Lenval Brown is the lead singer of the ska & rap band Maroon Town, though he's most famous in the video game world for his unforgettable performance as the narrator in Disco Elysium. Lenval is inhabiting another iconic role in Hopetown, and working with the narrative team to bring the game's characters to life.
Martin Luiga was a founding member and editor-in-chief of the ZA/UM Cultural Association. He designed and wrote several characters in Disco Elysium, and is
one of that world's first contributors. Martin has loved RPGs for decades,
but his current intellectual interests are psychoanalysis and critique of history.
Piotr Sobolewski is a game designer, university lecturer, and has been making games since Flash MX 2004. He's passionate about connecting psychology and neuroscience with game design. Piotr holds a PhD in Artificial Intelligence, and is credited in many games including Disco Elysium.
Varia Chernova loves RPGs, video games and all things character-driven. Her film and theatre background led her to work on indies like Yes, Your Grace: Snowfall. Now on Hopetown, she's crafting characters, encounters and storylines — aiming for plenty of "Wait… did that just happen?" moments along the way.
Will Sims focuses on more than just making hires—he creates thoughtful, inclusive processes that help teams grow with the right people. He finds smart, sustainable ways to connect great talent with great opportunities. Head over to the “Join the Team” section if you’re open to something new.
Alongside our core team, we also have advisory contributors, such as a music composer behind some of the soundtrack of The Witcher and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and the former Head of Publishing at Epic Games.
Astri Lohne has worked as an artist and illustrator professionally for almost a decade with studios like Blizzard, Wizards of the Coast and Sharkmob. She's aways been a devotee of single-player, narrative-driven games, and jumped at the opportunity to bring her experience and passion to creating a new world.
Longdue is hiring!
We're looking for passionate, creative minds to join us on this journey. If you’re ready to push boundaries and make your mark, explore our open positions below.