Baldur’s Gate 3 actor refuses to work on Disco Elysium successor
Baldur’s Gate 3 actor Samantha Beart wasn’t to keen to work with Disco Elysium successors. (Screenshot/Larian Studios)
Baldur’s Gate 3 star and acclaimed voice actor, Samantha Béart, has made her thoughts on appearing in a spiritual successor to Disco Elysium very clear following its drama-filled development.
The widely-acclaimed BAFTA award-winning role-playing game’s legacy has been nothing short of controversial after developer ZA/UM’s founder, Martin Luiga, alleged in 2022 that the studio had been subjected to a hostile takeover and that three of the game’s top developers had been forced out of the company.
In a Medium post, Luiga announced the dissolution of the ZA/UM “cultural association”, saying that the company founded on its principles “no longer represents the ethos it was founded on.”
ZA/UM has since become hugely reviled in the gaming community, with fans calling on its executives to “give [Disco Elysium] back” to its original developers.
In late 2024, three spiritual successors released separate teaser trailers on the same day, with all three development studios – Longdue, Summer Eternal, and Dark Math Games – taking each other to court.
Béart, who is notable for playing the character Karlach in Baldur’s Gate 3, was reportedly contacted by one of the development studios to voice a character for its game.
But the 40-year-old made her feelings very clear in an X/Twitter post on Tuesday (11 February), saying she refuses to work on a Disco Elysium successor that doesn’t include former ZA/UM lead writer Robert Kurvitz – one of the creators to be forced out of the studio.
“To the next studio that tries this: If your ‘spiritual successor’ to Disco Elysium does not involve creator Robert Kurvitz, then save both of us some time and miss me with that casting call,” she wrote.
The seasoned voice actor, who has worked on other projects such as The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow and Demon’s Souls, further responded to accusations that she is “picking and choosing roles” saying that she has only just managed to get minimum rates for her work and that this was out of principle.
“You do a couple of hours on each game ([Baldur’s Gate 3] is the exception) and you’re done. As far as I’m aware, only Hollywood actors are commanding anything [above] these minimums – and significantly above them too. You don’t get into this for the money.
“I grew up without money,” she continued. “Principles can be expensive, but a good night’s sleep is priceless.”
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