The release of Star Wars Zero Company followed an all-too-familiar pattern. This strategy game earned widespread praise, but most of the people who made it still lost their jobs. A few days after launch, a report indicated that 80% of Bit Reactor’s employees had been furloughed by the studio.
According to Bit Reactor, the move had nothing to do with publisher EA or Disney, and the studio hoped to restore employee pay after Zero Company’s successful launch. Thankfully, that seems to be happening now.
In a post on X, Bit Reactor CEO Greg Foerstch confirmed that the studio is hiring back more of the development team. Foerstch described this move as “an important step forward in our continued support for Zero Company.”
“Having to ask team members to step away after we navigated unexpected business developments outside of our control and so close to launch was an incredibly difficult decision, but one that was necessary to help us eventually bring as many people back as possible,” Foerstch wrote. “We look forward to sharing more updates regarding Bit Reactor and Zero Company soon.”
How did we learn about the situation at Bit Reactor?
Game File uncovered a lawsuit that revealed Bit Reactor’s woes before Zero Company’s launch. Beyond indicating that 80% of the team had been furloughed and contractors were terminated, the legal documents detailed a dispute between Bit Reactor’s co-founders Greg Foerstch and Alison Kelly. Kelly, the studio’s former chief operating officer, claims to be a co-owner, while Foerstch says he is the sole owner. Kelly is suing for $20 million in damages for allegedly being forced out of the company.
What has been added to Zero Company so far, and what’s coming next?
So far, Zero Company has mainly received bug fixes. On Sept. 9, the game received its 1.1 Patch, which improved performance and addressed various gameplay issues. While the studio hasn’t previewed any major expansions or updates, Foerstch’s statement about “continued support for Zero Company” hopefully indicates that some form of story DLC is on the way.
In the meantime, fans are filling in the gaps. A modder who goes by Cafiso created an unofficial expansion called Aftermath, which lets players keep going after the story ends, adding more than 1,000 additional cycles with new boss fights, recruits, and enemy factions. Hopefully, Bit Reactor’s support for the game will be just as robust.