The developer behind the new tactical game Star Wars: Zero Company, Bit Reactor, has furloughed the bulk of its staff prior to the release of the game. So far, the title has received extremely strong reviews and is becoming a bestseller on Steam, though that appears to have now soured, with word coming out that most of the team behind the game is no longer there to enjoy the fruits of their labor.
A report from Game File highlighted a comment by Zachariah Scott, a former Bit Reactor employee, who said the studio was “concealing the fact that the team was furloughed weeks ago”. This was happening while CEO Greg Foertsch was at gamescom touting the development studio’s next game.
Bit Reactor has since confirmed to Game File that most of the staff was indeed furloughed, though the exact number is still unclear. The current suggestion is that 80% of the studio has been placed on leave without pay, with only a small team left at the studio currently to address post-launch bugs. The current belief is that Bir Reactor ran out of money before the game’s release, despite hopes of landing another game deal, doing so as a cost-saving measure.
This Furlough has come to light in part due to the messy legal dispute between former COO Alison Kelly and CEO Greg Foertsch. Kelly, one of the company’s cofounders, has alleged that she was forced out of Bit Reactor by Foertsch being left without any compensation for her stake in the company. Foertsch has denied these allegations, launching a countersuit of his own, with primary litigation set to begin in 2027.
Interestingly enough, part of this claim suggests it was Kelly herself who ended up setting the studio on a path to develop Star Wars: Zero Company, after getting the project in front of Vince Zampella. Vice passed away late last year in a car accident, but was the head of Respawn and DICE LA (Later Ripple Effect Studios) at EA Studios. Originally, He had considered the idea for a spin-off to the Titanfall franchise before suggesting the game be switched to using the Star Wars IP.
Remember to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Bluesky to keep up to date on everything we have going on!
