Star Wars Zero Company developer Bit Reactor furloughed up to 80% of its staff

Bit Reactor

Up to 80 percent of Bit Reactor's staff were sent home without pay in the weeks leading up to Star Wars Zero Company's August 27 release, according to a report by Game File. The furloughs came before the studio knew how the game would be received. It has since launched to the highest Metacritic score of any Star Wars game in 22 years.

The details:

A Bit Reactor representative confirmed the furloughs to Game File, describing the decision as the studio's own rather than a directive from publisher EA or licence holder Disney. Only a skeleton crew remained active to handle post-launch bugs and support. The studio said it hoped strong commercial performance would allow it to bring staff back.
Former technical artist Zachariah Scott, who left Bit Reactor in May 2026, made the situation public on LinkedIn over launch weekend. "It is sick and weird to have all of these EA and Disney folks as well as Bit Reactor 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," he wrote.
The furloughs surfaced alongside details of an ongoing lawsuit between Bit Reactor's cofounders. Former COO Alison Kelly is suing cofounder Greg Foertsch, alleging she was forced out of the company and denied an equal ownership stake. Foertsch's lawyers reject the claims, arguing Kelly's role was reduced due to poor performance. The case is not set for trial until 2027.
Zero Company debuted at the top of Steam's sales charts and has been called a potential GOTY contender by several outlets. It is the best-reviewed Star Wars game since Knights of the Old Republic II in 2004.

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