Bit Reactor, the developer of Star Wars Zero Company, has begun returning some of its staff to the team after furloughing an estimated 80% of employees just before the game’s launch.
Bit Reactor’s CEO Greg Foertsch revealed the news in a public post on October 7, where he explained that the furloughs were necessary to “help us eventually bring as many people back as possible.”
Foertsh said that bringing these staff members back to Bit Reactor was an “important step forward” in the studio’s “continued support for Zero Company,” and that the team looks forward to sharing more updates about the game “soon.”
“Having to ask team members to step away after we navigated unexpected business developments outside of our control and so close to launch was an incredibly difficult decision,” Foertsh wrote. “…This team means a tremendous amount to me, and I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished together. Thank you to our fans for the incredible response to the game and for supporting us along this journey.”
Sources with information about the situation told GameFile that the number of Bit Reactor’s payrolled staff now account for “more than half of what it had been ahead of the furloughs,” meaning that there is still a sizeable chunk of furloughed staff who aren’t getting paid.
Star Wars Zero Company launched in August 2026 to rave reviews, getting a sparkling nine out of 10 from our reviewers here at IGN who praised it for being an “excellent tactical game that does a fantastic job of slathering on the same cinematic look and feel we saw in Respawn’s Star Wars Jedi games, incorporating strong characters and a storyline that’s refreshingly centered on non-Force users and a non-traditional villain.”
Despite its success, much of Bit Reactor’s staff were placed on leave without pay just before Zero Company launched, with reports indicating around 80% of employees were affected. This has become a recurring trend within the game development industry, to the point where Gears of War: E-Day developers were overcome with worry that they would get laid off after “crunching hard” to get the game out on time.
This is the latest news to get revealed about Zero Company after GameFile uncovered legal documents revealing that the game was initially pitched as a title within the Titanfall universe, with specific connections to Apex Legends. While this pitch ultimately didn’t go through, it’s certainly intriguing enough to make us wonder what such a game would have looked like, had it actually been made.
Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.
