Star Wars Zero Company developer Bit Reactor laid off an unspecified number of staff members on November 6, 2026, just weeks after recalling workers from a deep furlough.
The turn-based tactics title launched on August 27, 2026, for Windows, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, published by Electronic Arts. Set around the waning years of the Clone Wars, the game puts players in control of Tesh Hawks and Zero Company as they oppose the Infinite Coil.
Set around the beginning of the Galactic Empire, the story follows the misfit squad. Bespin Bulletin first reported the post-launch departures after affected employees shared news of their layoffs on LinkedIn.
Among those let go are senior environment artist Ryan Lopez, UI engineer Tyler Eichten, quality assurance analyst Ryan Mosher, and producer Michael Blackard, according to PC Gamer and Eurogamer. Additional team members confirmed their departures on LinkedIn. These include environment artist Michael Cabezas, environment artist Joshua Jay, and QA professional Ryan Mosher.
Cabezas stated that working with the team on a Star Wars project was a career highlight
for him and that he was proud of the work we were able to accomplish on Star Wars Zero Company
. While it stings, I’m really proud of what we built together,
Lopez wrote in a LinkedIn post cited by PC Gamer, adding that it was a privilege to ship the game.
Former senior technical artist Zachariah Scott publicly described the project’s development as having been built with shocking austerity.
He also accused the studio of concealing the fact that the team was furloughed weeks ago,
as noted by PC Gamer. Studio leadership defended the move in October as a necessary action.
CEO Greg Foertsch explained the furloughs in a Bluesky statement cited by PC Gamer. He stated the decision was a response to unexpected business developments outside of our control.
He called the action necessary to help us eventually bring as many people back as we can,
as cited by Eurogamer.
More than half the studio reportedly returned after that call. Not everyone went back on full pay, and staff who returned last month appeared unaffected by the initial wave of November departures.
Within a month of release, Zero Company sold one million copies, according to PC Gamer and Gamersuniverse. Alinea Analytics estimated in late September that nearly 70% of those initial sales came via Steam. Video Game Insights later estimated that total sales have reached 1.2 million units, generating approximately $52.2 million in revenue, GamesIndustry.biz reported.
Critical reception remained high. PC Gamer reviewer Ted Litchfield described the title as one of the best games of 2026 and a new all-timer Star Wars videogame.
Eurogamer awarded the title four out of five stars, praising it as an earnest, smart turn-based tactics gem.
The strong performance of both Zero Company and Star Wars: Galactic Racer has reportedly pleased Lucasfilm, which is now interested in pursuing additional creative spins on the universe. EA’s Star Wars pipeline reportedly includes an upcoming Star Wars Jedi title and a greenlit Star Wars Battlefront 3 helmed by Respawn Entertainment and DICE.
Following the commercial milestone, Bit Reactor began recalling staff in October to support the game. The studio released updates including Patch 1.2, which introduced campaign modifiers to increase difficulty, according to Gamingbolt. The subsequent November layoffs indicate that the studio’s post-launch revenue and recall efforts were insufficient to retain the entire workforce.
