Star Wars Zero Company Studio Bit Reactor Lays Off More Developers
A month after an estimated million sales, the team behind Zero Company just got smaller again.
Bit Reactor, the studio that made Star Wars Zero Company, has laid off more developers. Several team members in art, UI and QA said on LinkedIn that Friday, November 6, was their last day at the studio (Bespin Bulletin).
It's the second round of cuts in about three months, and it comes after one of the best-reviewed Star Wars games in years (Output Lag).
Who was affected by the Bit Reactor layoffs?
Bit Reactor hasn't shared a total number, but three developers posted about their departures publicly on LinkedIn.
Ryan Lopez, a senior environment artist who spent nearly four years at the studio, helped build the exterior of The Den, and he thanked his teammates while saying it was a privilege to ship a game with them.
Tyler Eichten, a UI engineer who built much of the on-screen interface for the tactical missions, wrote that he is "immensely proud" of what the team accomplished (Output Lag). QA tester Ryan Mosher said he was affected too.
What happened at Bit Reactor before this?
The trouble started before the game even launched. Stephen Totilo at Game File reported that Bit Reactor ran out of most of its money and furloughed roughly 80% of its staff two weeks before release, without pay (Aftermath). The studio said it made that decision independently, without direction from publisher Electronic Arts or licensor Disney.
Star Wars Zero Company, a turn-based tactics game set during the Clone Wars, launched on August 27 for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, and the reviews were excellent.
In October, CEO Greg Foertsch said the studio had "started the process of returning more of our team," and more than half of the furloughed staff came back (Game Developer). Patch 1.2 followed soon after.
How well did Zero Company sell?
Analytics firm Alinea Analytics estimated that the game passed 1 million copies and about $50 million in revenue in its first month (Output Lag). Those are outside estimates. Neither Bit Reactor nor EA has shared official sales numbers.
What does this mean for Zero Company updates?
Nobody knows yet, because Bit Reactor and Electronic Arts haven't commented on the layoffs, and the studio hasn't explained what they mean for future patches or additional content.
My read is that this one stings, because Zero Company is exactly the kind of Star Wars game fans requested for years, and it sold well and earned terrific reviews while the people who built it still lost their jobs. If you're hiring for art, UI or QA, these developers just shipped a great game, and they're worth a look.
Did you play Star Wars Zero Company? Tell us what you thought in the comments.
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Header image and in-article image are official key art and screenshots from Electronic Arts via the Xbox Store.
