Okay, real talk. We don’t usually cover video game news here at The Geek Twins. But this one’s too big to skip. Star Wars Zero Company is a legit hit. It sold big, critics swooned, and Star Wars fans finally got a great tactics game. So naturally, the studio is cutting jobs. Bespin Bulletin first reported the Bit Reactor layoffs on November 6. Several affected developers then announced their exits on LinkedIn. It’s the latest twist in a rollercoaster year for the Star Wars Zero Company developer. Here’s everything we know.
Table of Contents
- What Happened at Bit Reactor?
- Who Lost Their Jobs?
- From Furloughs to Bit Reactor Layoffs
- A Hit Game With a Shrinking Studio
- What Happens to Zero Company Updates?
- FAQ
What Happened at Bit Reactor?
Let’s start with the good news, because there isn’t much of it. Star Wars Zero Company is a hit. Critics loved it, fans loved it, and it reportedly sold over a million copies.
So naturally, the studio is laying people off.
On November 6, Bespin Bulletin broke the news of the Bit Reactor layoffs. Bit Reactor didn’t hold a press conference or post a heartfelt blog. Instead, the affected developers announced it themselves on LinkedIn. That’s how you know things are going great.
Meanwhile, the Star Wars Zero Company developer still hasn’t said how many people lost their jobs. We just know it’s more than a few. Senior artists, engineers, and QA staff all posted goodbyes.
Honestly, the timing stings even more than the news itself. Bit Reactor furloughed about 80% of its staff before the game even launched. Then, after strong sales, it brought some of them back in October. Now, a month later, the Star Wars Zero Company layoffs are cutting some of those same people loose.
In other words, the team that made one of the best Star Wars games in years got the full Order 66 treatment. Except this time, nobody saw the clones coming.
Who Lost Their Jobs?
Bit Reactor hasn’t released a list, so we’re piecing this together from LinkedIn. And what we’ve found isn’t pretty.
First up is senior environment artist Ryan Lopez. He spent three and a half years building Zero Company. Then he spent the last three and a half months on furlough. Now he’s out entirely. Still, Lopez kept it classy. “While it stings, I’m really proud of what we built together,” he wrote.
Next, UI engineer Tyler Eichten confirmed he was part of the Bit Reactor layoffs too. So did senior QA analyst Ryan Mosher. Mosher isn’t some rookie, either. He spent two years at Firaxis and two years at 1047 Games before joining Bit Reactor in October 2024.
Basically, these are the folks who made the game look good, play smoothly, and run without crashing. Reports say the affected staff worked on tactical mission menus and the player’s base hub art.
In other words, the Star Wars Zero Company layoffs hit people whose work you’ve already seen on screen. That’s what makes this one sting. The Star Wars Zero Company developer didn’t cut dead weight. It cut the crew that delivered.
From Furloughs to Bit Reactor Layoffs
To really understand the Bit Reactor layoffs, you have to rewind to late summer. Spoiler: it’s been a mess.
Weeks before the August 27 launch, Bit Reactor furloughed roughly 80% of its staff. Game File broke that story, reporting the studio had burned through most of its money. Only a skeleton crew stayed on payroll to squash launch bugs.
And before you blame the usual suspects, hold up. A Bit Reactor rep said the call was the studio’s alone. EA and Disney weren’t pulling the strings here.
Unsurprisingly, former staff weren’t thrilled. One ex-technical artist publicly criticized how tight the budget was during development. He also accused leadership of hiding the furloughs until after launch.
Then things looked up. On October 7, CEO Greg Foertsch announced that more of the team was returning to work. Game File’s sources said headcount climbed back above half its pre-furlough size. Foertsch framed the earlier furlough as a painful but necessary move to save as many jobs as possible.
Unfortunately, “as many as possible” apparently has limits. In November, the Star Wars Zero Company layoffs arrived anyway. So the Star Wars Zero Company developer went from furloughs to rehires to cuts in about three months. That’s a lot of whiplash for one studio.
A Hit Game With a Shrinking Studio
Here’s the part that makes the Bit Reactor layoffs extra frustrating. Zero Company isn’t a flop. It’s a hit.
The game launched August 27, 2026, on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. EA published it, and Respawn Entertainment helped bring it to life. It’s a turn-based tactics game set near the end of the Clone Wars. Think XCOM, but with clones and blasters.
And critics loved it. It landed a Metascore of 85 and an 88 average on OpenCritic. It also briefly topped Steam’s bestseller chart. On top of that, it hit a peak of about 77,000 players on Steam alone.
Sales followed, too. Analytics firm Alinea estimates it sold over a million copies within roughly a month. That’s not an official number, but it’s still a big one.
Even Lucasfilm seems happy. The company reportedly wants more creative Star Wars games like Zero Company and Galactic Racer.
So yeah, the Star Wars Zero Company developer made a game everyone liked. Yet the Star Wars Zero Company layoffs happened anyway. Clearly, a million copies doesn’t cover years of debt and payroll. Welcome to the 2026 games industry, folks.
What Happens to Zero Company Updates?
Now for the question every player is asking. What do the Bit Reactor layoffs mean for future updates?
Honestly, nobody knows yet. Bit Reactor hasn’t said a word about post-launch plans since the cuts.
That silence is awkward, because Foertsch tied the October rehires directly to supporting Zero Company. Now some of those same people are gone. Meanwhile, the Star Wars Zero Company developer lost UI and environment art talent. Those are exactly the folks who build new content.
To be fair, the game has already gotten some love. A patch fixed the infamous “100% shot that somehow misses” problem. A later update also added new difficulty options that lean closer to classic XCOM.
Still, bigger questions hang in the air. Will we get DLC? New missions? A sequel? Right now, it’s all a big maybe.
Here’s the optimistic take. Strong sales and a happy Lucasfilm give Bit Reactor a reason to keep going. On the other hand, the Star Wars Zero Company layoffs suggest money is still tight. So keep your expectations in check. Hope for more content, but don’t pre-order your feelings just yet.
Star Wars Zero Company Layoffs FAQ
Did Bit Reactor lay off staff?
Yes. Multiple developers confirmed the Bit Reactor layoffs on LinkedIn in early November 2026. The studio hasn’t shared an exact number.
Was Star Wars Zero Company a success?
Yes. It earned strong reviews and an estimated one million-plus in sales.
Did EA cause the Bit Reactor layoffs?
Bit Reactor said the earlier furloughs were its own decision, not EA’s or Disney’s.
Will Star Wars Zero Company keep getting updates?
Bit Reactor hasn’t said. We’ll update this post when it does.
Who publishes Star Wars Zero Company?
EA publishes it, with Respawn Entertainment involved in development.
Bit Reactor did the hard part. It made a Star Wars game people actually love. But the Bit Reactor layoffs prove a hit doesn’t guarantee job security. The studio still owes fans and its staff some clarity on Zero Company’s future. Until then, the Star Wars Zero Company developer story stays bittersweet. We’ll update this post as more news drops.
Did you play Star Wars Zero Company? Do the Bit Reactor layoffs change how you see it? Sound off in the comments below. Then share this post with your Star Wars squad on Facebook, X, and Bluesky.
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