Hopetown News

[p]Veljo Hagu was the first Unity developer hired on Disco Elysium. He shaped the game’s unique skill system and translated ambitious vision into groundbreaking gameplay.[/p][p]Before you dive into this interview, don’t forget to wishlist Hopetown on Steam to follow development and help us reach more players.[/p][p][/p][h3]Hopetown Inspirations: The History of Disco Elysium as told by Veljo Hagu | Part Two: Technical Origins[/h3][p]
In this interview, Veljo reveals:[/p]

• [p]How 24 skills stayed narratively impactful without becoming min-max puzzles[/p]
• [p]Why removing combat opened space for narrative innovation[/p]
• [p]The biggest technical challenge: marrying dense narrative with reactive systems[/p]
• [p]His advice for developers: execution matters more than perfect vision[/p]

[p]"The first time I heard Mikee Goodman's narration in the beginning dialogue, I got goosebumps. It was just that powerful."[/p][p]Veljo's approach to integrated systems and team momentum influences Hopetown's development today.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Veljo at work (photo provided by Veljo Hagu)
[/p][h3]Closing Note[/h3][p]Hopetown lives in the space between the real and the surreal — a world that feels remembered, but not quite yours. Every detail in Hopetown — from a fragment of dialogue to the way memory twists — is shaped by the writers who breathe life into its world. Gerard's work helps ensure the town feels alive: imperfect, layered, and impossible to forget.[/p][p]Read the full interview here.[/p][p][/p][h3]Join the Conversation[/h3][p]We’re building more than just a game — we’re building a community. Share your thoughts, theories, and favourite details from Martin's interview in our Discord.[/p][p][/p][p]And don’t forget to wishlist Hopetown on Steam.[/p][p][/p][p]Until next time,[/p][p]— The Hopetown Team [/p]

[p]The History of Disco Elysium is a special series in which we ask our narrative lead Martin Luiga — one of the founding members of the ZA/UM cultural movement that brought the world Disco Elysium — our most burning questions about the making of Disco and the early days of ZA/UM.[/p][p][/p][p]Before you dive into this interview, don’t forget to wishlist Hopetown on Steam to follow development and help us reach more players.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Hopetown Inspirations: The History of Disco Elysium as told by Martin Luiga | Part One[/h3][p][/p][p]How was Disco Elysium really made? Our narrative lead Martin Luiga, one of ZA/UM's founding members, tells his story.[/p][p]In part one of this special series, Martin shares:[/p]

• [p]The early days of ZA/UM in 2000s Estonia[/p]
• [p]Meeting Robert Kurvitz and forming the collective[/p]
• [p]How chaos turned into the beloved cRPG we know today[/p]
• [p]Why personal freedom was the secret ingredient[/p]

[p]"I would say that Disco Elysium is a fruit of many people fighting aggressively for their own personal freedom."[/p][p]Martin's work and creative approach deeply influence the complex, familiar-yet-strange world we're creating in Hopetown. This is a series that explores the origins of Martin's creative influences, how he helped create the brilliant and beloved game Disco Elysium, and, later, how that approach now informs his work on Hopetown.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The crew, with Robert Kurvitz in the middle, Kaur Kender in the back row, wearing sunglasses, and Martin Luiga the fourth in the second row. – Photo provided by Martin Luiga[/p][p][/p][h3]Closing Note [/h3][p]Hopetown lives in the space between the real and the surreal — a world that feels remembered, but not quite yours. Every detail in Hopetown — from a fragment of dialogue to the way memory twists — is shaped by the writers who breathe life into its world. Gerard's work helps ensure the town feels alive: imperfect, layered, and impossible to forget.[/p][p]Read the full interview here.[/p][p][/p][h3]The Next Lead[/h3][p]Martin's work and creative approach deeply influence the complex, familiar-yet-strange world we're creating in Hopetown. This is a series that explores the origins of our team's creative influences, how they helped create the brilliant and beloved game Disco Elysium, and, later, how that approach now informs their work on Hopeton. [/p][p][/p][h3]Join the Conversation[/h3][p]We’re building more than just a game — we’re building a community. Share your thoughts, theories, and favourite details from Martin's interview in our Discord.[/p][p][/p][p]And don’t forget to wishlist Hopetown on Steam.[/p][p][/p][p]Until next time,[/p][p]— The Hopetown Team[/p]

[p]Welcome back to On The Record, our behind-the-scenes series exploring the minds, methods, and inspirations of our team. [/p][p][/p][p]This month we’re exploring how words become world with Gerard, a senior writer for Hopetown. [/p][p][/p][p]Before you dive into this interview, don’t forget to wishlist Hopetown on Steam to follow development and help us reach more players.[/p][p][/p][p] [/p][h2]On The Record: Gerard Howard[/h2][p][/p][p]Tell us a little about yourself — who you are, and what you do on Hopetown. 
[/p][p]I’m just a lil guy from Ireland, really. But I also happen to be an avid gamer and collector of books (I can genuinely build furniture with what I’ve got). I’m a screenwriter, author, and now one of the writers/narrative designers on Hopetown. My goal here is to make at least ONE person ugly cry with a character I wrote.
[/p][p]How did you first get involved with Hopetown? What drew you to the world and its style of storytelling? 
[/p][p]I happened to work on art director Astri Lohne’s personal project RUNIC in the past, and so was gratefully recommended by her. After jumping through some fiery hoops and doing some literary belly dances, here I am![/p][p][/p][p]As for what drew me - the world itself looks absolutely stunning, and I couldn’t think of anything more topical than a story based around the power of information, especially in today’s climate and how horrific the internet has become.
[/p][p]Hopetown is described as a “psychological RPG driven by story, depth, and danger.” What does that mean to you as a writer? [/p][p][/p][p]At first glance, those words are ores that haven’t been cracked and can mean absolutely everything and nothing to a writer on a game like this.[/p][p][/p][p]I’ve played the greats: KOTOR II (long live Kreia), Planescape + ToN, Tyranny, Pillars, Fallout, BG, Disco (ofc), etc. All these games can fall under those descriptors, and yet most of us can attribute specific moments that stuck with us if we were asked to describe the story, the depth, the danger. Moments that made us feel something and, oftentimes, shaped us in some way.



So, in all honesty, it means we have a lot of work to do.[/p][p] [/p][p]Where do you find inspiration when writing for a world like Hopetown — with its painterly visuals, political tensions, and surreal undertones? 
[/p][p]I’ve been super fortunate to live in different countries and explore many of the world’s cities, big and small.
[/p][p]My answer is and will forever remain: people.



What they create, what they destroy, what they think, say, love, hate, eat, stub their toes on. People are as amazing as they are horrible. It’s through the permeation of all these things that my brain draws interesting threads I can’t help following.
[/p][p]What part of Hopetown’s narrative or themes do you find the most exciting or challenging to write? [/p][p][/p][p]The commodification of information. I’m very interested in the power held by those who dictate narratives. We see so often in this day and age how a story, true or not, can massively sway public opinion within the course of a few minutes. Why are the Teletubbies mentioned in the Epstein files!? Who can say?[/p][p][/p][p]It’s one of several narrative pillars within Hopetown, and I’m excited for players to either break the cycle of nonsense or choose to contribute to it.[/p][p][/p][p]Hopetown’s characters are flawed, layered, and often contradictory. How do you approach writing humanity — the messy, strange, vulnerable parts? [/p][p][/p][p]I am myself all the things described above. I do my best to speak to those parts as earnestly as I can, and so will often find ways to draw them out in characters with considerations made to the migrational patterns of their lives.[/p][p][/p][p]We’re clay people. We give and take shape. So when you uphold a character’s truth above everything else, good and bad, you quickly take the backseat and wind up following them as you write.[/p][p][/p][p]It’s awesome.
[/p][p]What books, games, films, or real-world experiences have influenced your writing style the most? 
[/p][p]Oh god.[/p][p][/p][p]I’ll pick notables but this could easily become its own novel.



Books: Silmarillion by Tolkien, Ulysses by Joyce, Earthsea by Le Guin, Stoner by Williams, Foster by Claire Keegan, Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake, Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar (please please please read this woman’s work if you haven’t already. It’s unbelievable), Homeland by R.A. Salvatore, Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe, and many many MANY more.[/p][p][/p][p]Films (strictly on the writing side): LotR, The Departed, Chasing Amy, Prisoners, Burn After Reading, Hot Fuzz, Blue Valentine, 20th Century Women, Moonlight, Aftersun.[/p][p][/p][p]Games: KOTOR II, Demon’s Souls, The Last of Us, Shadow of the Colossus (yes, really!), Dishonoured, Mass Effect 2, Undertale, Halo: Reach
[/p][p]If players walk away from Hopetown with one idea, feeling, or question, what do you hope it will be? [/p][p][/p][p]I hope more than anything that they’ll walk away questioning their relationship to the internet and the way they engage with it.[/p][p][/p][p]The world is a horrifying, beautiful, strange place, and most of us have direct access to it through the little device in our pockets. People who want us to behave a certain way and take specific actions in said world ALSO have direct access to us through that little device.[/p][p][/p][p]That should give us all pause.[/p][p][/p][p]Tea, coffee, or something else while writing? 
[/p][p]Coffee, baby. Let me tweak.[/p][p][/p][p]One NPC, from any medium, you’d grab a drink with? [/p][p][/p][p]Gandalf.
[/p][p]Weirdest Google search you’ve done while researching for Hopetown? [/p][p][/p][p]Please don’t make me go through my browser history :0
[/p][p]What’s one song you’d add to the Hopetown writing playlist? [/p][p][/p][p]Netta Perseus - Lankum[/p][p][/p][p]Favourite writing ritual or superstition — the thing you swear works even if no one believes you? [/p][p][/p][p]Not so much a ritual, but I do enjoy a decent lil candle at my side when I’m writing. Staring into a quiet, wispy flame while contemplating a character’s death or cosmic annihilation is super relaxing :D[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Closing Note
[/h3][p]Hopetown lives in the space between the real and the surreal — a world that feels remembered, but not quite yours. Every detail in Hopetown — from a fragment of dialogue to the way memory twists — is shaped by the writers who breathe life into its world. Gerard's work helps ensure the town feels alive: imperfect, layered, and impossible to forget.[/p][p][/p][h3]The Next Lead[/h3][p][/p][p]Our next On the Record will spotlight another corner of development — exploring how story, art, and systems continue to weave together as Hopetown grows. Keep an eye on our dev blog and socials for the next instalment.[/p][p][/p][h3]Join the Conversation[/h3][p][/p][p]We’re building more than just a game — we’re building a community. Share your thoughts, theories, and favourite details from Gerard's interview in our Discord.[/p][p][/p][p]And don’t forget to wishlist Hopetown on Steam.[/p][p][/p][p]Until next time,[/p][p]— The Hopetown Team[/p]

[p]Welcome to Off The Record, our monthly peek behind the scenes of Hopetown. A look into the strange, shifting narrative RPG we’re building with far too many red strings pinned to our walls.[/p][p]
You can bury a lot underground. Doesn’t mean it stays put. In Hopetown, the truths that people whisper after midnight are often more revealing than anything they print. This transcript was found scrawled on the back of an old bar menu from The Lowest Point — the kind of place where rumours, regrets, and spilled drinks all share the same sticky surface. [/p][p][/p][h3]The Bartender’s Philosophy [/h3][p]They say the trick to tending bar is knowing when to listen and when to pretend you didn’t hear a damn thing. I think that’s most of life really, just selective hearing dressed up as wisdom.
[/p][p]You’d be surprised what people confess once they’ve had a few. The miners talk of things that don’t hold true in the light of day. Those of a more bureaucratic disposition talk about dividends and divine right, which might be the same thing. They all end up here, in The Point, where the ceiling drips and the clock’s been wrong for ten years. 
[/p][p]I used to think this place was the bottom — until I realised there is no bottom, only deeper. Every story has another layer if you’ve got the nerve to keep digging, and the patience to stop before you hit something alive.
[/p][p]What I’ve learned, pouring drinks for the damned, is that everyone’s got a truth they want to sell and a lie they drink to forget. Me? I trade in both. Cheap. I keep the glasses clean, the rumours cleaner, and when someone asks what I believe in, I tell them:[/p][p][/p][p]I believe in equilibrium. [/p][p][/p][p]Not justice, not mercy. Just the quiet balance between the pour and the spill. Because in this town, balance is all we get before the floor gives way again.[/p][p]

Filed under: Recovered Testimonies, Personal Accounts, Unverified Sources.[/p][p]Author: Unknown — transcription verified via artefact ID #LP-731.[/p][p]Status: Undistributed.[/p][p]
[/p][h3]Closing Note[/h3][p]Sometimes the smallest voices in Hopetown tell you the most about the world — a miner, a bartender, a clerk with a short memory and a long night ahead. Their stories don’t make the headlines, but they’re what the world is built on.[/p][p]What you’ve just read is part of a growing archive of recovered fragments — personal accounts, corrupted transmissions, and unverified testimonies — slowly pieced together to form the story of Hopetown.
[/p][h3]Wishlist Hopetown on Steam[/h3][p]Hopetown is a narrative-first RPG without combat — where words carry weight, and the world bends around your perception.[/p][p]Wishlist now on Steam [/p][h3]Join the Conversation[/h3][p]The discussion doesn’t end here.
Share your theories, ask questions, or simply pull up a stool at our community hub:[/p][p]Join the Hopetown Discord[/p][p]Come tell us what you think the bartender meant by “equilibrium.”
[/p][p]Until next time,[/p][p]– The Hopetown Team[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p]“Every corner of Hopetown should feel like it remembers something you don’t” [/p][p][/p][h2]On The Record | Developer Interview[/h2][p][/p][p]Welcome back to On The Record, our behind-the-scenes series exploring the minds, methods, and inspirations of the Hopetown team.
[/p][p]This month we’re stepping into the concept stage, where mood becomes world, with Anastasia. From surreal architecture to everyday details that just feel a little off, Anastasia helps define Hopetown’s painterly tone and the uncanny nostalgia that shapes its world.
[/p][p]Before you dive into this developer interview, don’t forget to wishlist Hopetown on Steam to follow development and help us reach more players.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Between Realism and Dream[/h3][p][/p][p]Tell us a little about yourself — who you are, and what you do on Hopetown? [/p][p][/p][p]I'm an artist, I enjoy many kinds of creative work, but drawing has always had a special place in my heart. Over time, I discovered concept art! And now I enjoy helping and developing the art side of any project, over time, I’ve come across many interesting, sometimes even absurd ones.
[/p][p]At Hopetown, I work as a Concept Artist, so I get to combine the useful with the enjoyable.[/p][p][/p][p]How did you first get involved with the project? What drew you to Hopetown and its world?
[/p][p]I came across a job posting for a Concept artist, and it was such a surprising and exciting experience to actually get an interview invitation instead of silence. Especially during the interview with the art director, I had this feeling that it’s a place for enthusiasts — and it really is.[/p][p][/p][p]Hopetown has a painterly, surreal visual identity. How do you begin shaping a world that sits between realism and dreamlike memory? [/p][p][/p][p]I think I’m guided by intuition, perception, and other creative sources, especially music. I’m a big fan of Boards of Canada; their sound perfectly captures that feeling of being “between realism and dreamlike.”[/p][p]
[/p][h3]Nostalgic Yet Strange[/h3][p][/p][p]Hopetown is described  as being “nostalgic yet strange.” How do you interpret that idea through your concepts and designs? [/p][p][/p][p]Take technology as an example, devices that have already fallen out of use, not too ancient so you still remember them — that’s where nostalgia comes in. And then when we reach the word strange, we turn on imagination and add something special, something that emphasizes that strangeness, even pushing it to absurdity if needed.[/p][p][/p][p]What emotions or moods do you want the visuals of Hopetown to evoke in players?[/p][p][/p][p]I think of nostalgia and liminality, and at the same time a sharp curiosity to explore this world, as if something is hidden from your eyes, yet so close.[/p][p][/p][h3]The Imperfect and the Human[/h3][p][/p][p]The people of Hopetown are described as rugged and imperfect. How do you capture that in your concept work — and what do you think makes a character or space feel authentically Hopetown? [/p][p][/p][p]I try to explore the character, their personality, habits, why they like one thing and not another. And that’s how we express it in a concept. It’s not a quick process. Through these steps and discussions, our team arrives at interesting solutions. Even a simple NPC hides an entire world. You can feel it through details, the environment they live in, what they wear, their hairstyle, etc. I don’t think this is something authentically Hopetown, we’re inspired by real people who live in unstable times, have doubts, and strange neighbours… just like in real life. The only difference is that we add a bit of mysticism to ordinary things, but that, too, exists in the real world.[/p][p][/p][p]Who or what are your biggest artistic inspirations — whether other games, films, or real-world influences?[/p][p][/p][p]As for games: MGR, Blasphemous 1 & 2, No Rest for the Wicked, Disco Elysium, Jazzpunk, Fallout: New Vegas, Deus Ex series. Also Goichi Suda and his games.[/p][p]And music! So much music! An endless source of inspiration: Meshuggah, Primus,  MASTER BOOT RECORD, Tool, Frank Zappa, Pink Floyd, Boards of Canada as I mentioned, and many more.[/p][p][/p][p]I’m also a big fan of the manga Blame! and brutalist concrete endless spaces.
[/p][p]If players walk away from Hopetown with one lasting impression from the art direction, what do you hope it will be?
[/p][p]Dreams… the feeling of a vivid dream where you’ve met many friends, or enemies![/p][p]Depends on the dreamer; maybe it’s even the desire to see that dream again and again.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Quick Sketches[/h3][p][/p][p]Tea, coffee, or something else? [/p][p]Tea worship![/p][p][/p][p]One NPC you’d grab a drink with? [/p][p]Joshua Graham from the Honest Hearts DLC in Fallout: New Vegas.[/p][p][/p][p]Weirdest Google search you’ve done for Hopetown research? [/p][p]Pinterest once showed me a pigeon with enormous AI buttocks when I searched “pigeon.” Mesmerizing.[/p][p][/p][p]One song you’d add to the Hopetown art playlist? [/p][p]Heart - Straight On[/p][p][/p][p]Biggest art inspiration? [/p][p]Jeff Simpson, Kazuma Kaneko, Dave McKean — their wonderful art.[/p][h3]
Closing Note[/h3][p][/p][p]Hopetown lives in the space between the real and the surreal — a world that feels remembered, but not quite yours. Through Anastasia’s work, that uncanny nostalgia becomes a visual language of its own.[/p][p][/p][h3]The Next Lead
[/h3][p]Our next On the Record will spotlight another corner of development — exploring how story, art, and systems continue to weave together as Hopetown grows. Keep an eye on our dev blog and socials for the next instalment.[/p][p][/p][h3]Join the Conversation[/h3][p][/p][p]We’re building more than just a game — we’re building a community. Share your thoughts, theories, and favourite details from Anastasia’s interview in our Discord.[/p][p][/p][p]And don’t forget to wishlist Hopetown on Steam.[/p][p][/p][p]Until next time,[/p][p]— The Hopetown Team[/p]