- Primary Subject: Star Wars: Zero Company Development
- Key Update: Developer Bit Reactor furloughed 80% of its staff despite the game's critical success.
- Status: Published
- Last Verified: 2026-09-01
- Quick Answer: This article details how the developers of Star Wars: Zero Company were furloughed despite the game's positive reception, raising concerns about the studio's financial stability and management practices.
The success story behind the recently released Star Wars: Zero Company may be marred by mismanagement during development, as a new report reveals that 80% of the staff at Bit Reactor were furloughed—with hopes of being rehired if the game becomes a commercial success.
Initially reported by Gamefile, the studio behind Zero Company—a turn-based tactical RPG released this past August 27—allegedly ran out of money to maintain its staff before the game launched, opting to put the vast majority on obligatory temporary leave with reduced pay. At least that’s the definition of being furloughed; whether management keeps its word is a completely different story.
The idea, according to the report, is to bring back the staff once things have stabilized. However, according to a former Bit Reactor employee, those left in limbo shouldn’t bet on studio heads staying true to their word.
Via LinkedIn, Zachariah Scott explained that seeing EA and Disney representatives celebrating the critical success of Star Wars: Zero Company (the game currently holds an 85 on Metacritic) feels “sick and weird,” considering the fact that the vast majority of the team was furloughed weeks ago.
“It is a gross but all-too-common sight to see: another corporate game hitting the top of Steam while the team is left looking for work and cut off from any possible profit sharing. It would be such a different story if they had been upfront about it earlier, and now it feels like they’re trying to keep the team in a holding pattern with good vibes and more empty promises,” Scott wrote.
The last time a major studio had to furlough staff following the release of a game happened back in 2024. Following dismal sales of Immortals of Aveum (released in mid-2023), Ascendant Studios laid off a good portion of its staff as there was simply not enough money to keep them around when the full-priced $70 game had to compete against the likes of Armored Core VI and Starfield. The remaining staff was furloughed in early 2024, with team members eventually moving on to other endeavors.
Notably, both Ascendant Studios and Bit Reactor had Electronic Arts as their publisher.
At the time of writing, no sales numbers have been shared by Bit Reactor or EA. Considering it is a stacked month—with this week alone seeing the release of games like Blood of the Dawnwalker, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and Orbitals—the game won’t have an easy path toward becoming a commercial success.
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