Star Wars Zero Company launched last week to rave reviews, but it’s not all good news at developer Bit Reactor. A majority of the team that worked on the game were reportedly furloughed weeks before the launch of the turn-based tactics title. Most of the employees at the Maryland-based studio are now said to be working without pay.
Citing a source familiar with the matter, Game File reported Tuesday that the furloughs impacted 80 percent of Bit Reactor’s staff before the game launched on August 27. A separate source told the publication that only a “skeleton crew” was left on the studio’s active payroll to support Star Wars Zero Company after its launch.
According to the report, Bit Reactor was forced to furlough its employees after it ran out of most of its funds weeks before the launch of its debut game.
A court filing last month, that came as part of a lawsuit brought by Bit Reactor co-founder Alison Kelly in 2024, reportedly claimed that the company had “furloughed most of its employees and terminated contractors…”
Bit Reactor Confirms Furloughs
A representative for Bit Reactor confirmed to Game File that the developer had furloughed much of its staff in the lead up to the game’s release. The rep told the publication that Bit Reactor made the decision before it knew how the launch of Zero Company would go.
The studio representative did not confirm the number of employees impacted by the move, but said the company hoped to put the furloughed workers back on its payroll. The successful launch of Star Wars Zero Company may have something to do with that. However, it’s unclear if the studio intends to restore all the employees impacted by the furloughs, or if some workers will end up losing their jobs.
“It is sick and weird to have all of these EA and Disney folks as well as Bitreactor Senior staff making all of these 10/10 posts about Star Wars Zero Company being such a huge success and praising the work of the team while seemingly concealing the fact that the team was Furloughed weeks ago,” Zachariah Scott, a former Bit Reactor staff, wrote on LinkedIn.
Star Wars Zero Company launched on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X on August 27. The tactics title received widespread critical acclaim and is among the top-selling games on Steam right now. The game has also reached an all-time peak concurrent player count of 77,889 on the storefront.
Following the game’s launch, Bit Reactor CEO Greg Foertsch said that making the game had been an “incredible experience” for everyone at the studio.
“Bringing our first title to life alongside Lucasfilm Games and Electronic Arts has been an incredible experience for everyone at Bit Reactor. This game has been a passion project for our entire team, and we hope that passion comes through as you step into Star Wars Zero Company,” Foertsch said on the studio’s website.
