Star Wars Zero Company studio Bit Reactor lays off staff

Star Wars Zero Company developer Bit Reactor has laid off an unspecified number of staff. The studio had already furloughed most of its team before launch, then brought some people back after the game sold well.

The news was first reported by Star Wars site Bespin Bulletin and picked up by PC Gamer. Several developers shared the news on LinkedIn. The studio has not said how many people were affected.

Who lost their jobs at the Star Wars Zero Company studio?

According to PC Gamer, those let go include senior environment artist Ryan Lopez, who worked on the game for three and a half years and had been on furlough for the past three and a half months. "While it stings, I'm really proud of what we built together," Lopez wrote on LinkedIn.

Name	Role	Note
Ryan Lopez	Senior environment artist	3.5 years on the game, furloughed for 3.5 months
Tyler Eichten	UI engineer	Announced on LinkedIn
Ryan Mosher	Senior QA analyst	Joined in October 2024 after Firaxis and 1047 Games

What has happened at Bit Reactor this year?

It has been a rough few months for the studio. In September, reports said Bit Reactor had furloughed up to 80% of its staff in the weeks before launch. The same reports claimed the studio had run out of most of its money ahead of release.

Former senior technical artist Zachariah Scott said the project was built with "shocking austerity". He also accused the company of hiding the fact that the team had been furloughed weeks earlier.

Why wasn't strong sales enough?

The game launched on August 27, 2026, and sold one million copies within a month. Bit Reactor then said it had rehired some of its staff. In a Bluesky statement, CEO Greg Foertsch said the furlough was a response to "unexpected business developments outside of our control" and was "necessary to help us eventually bring as many people back as we can".

The latest cuts suggest those sales were not enough to bring everyone back. The studio has not given a detailed statement on the new layoffs.

What kind of game is Star Wars Zero Company?

Star Wars Zero Company is a single-player, turn-based tactics game set in the final days of the Clone Wars, where you command an elite squad. It is published by Electronic Arts and developed by Bit Reactor, a studio founded by former Firaxis developers. Reviews were strong, and PC Gamer called it "one of the best games of 2026".

• Release date: August 27, 2026
• Steam price: $49.99
• Sales: one million copies in a month (PC Gamer)
• More than 23,000 user reviews on Steam

Why does this matter?

Bit Reactor shows that even a hit game may not be enough to keep a studio safe. Similar stories have piled up in recent weeks. We covered EA's BioWare decision in our BioWare story and the Arkane Lyon open letter in our Arkane union report. On the engine side, read our Unity acquisition talks story.

Frequently asked questions

How many people did Bit Reactor lay off?

The studio has not shared a number. Affected staff announced it on LinkedIn, including a senior environment artist, a UI engineer and a senior QA analyst.

How many copies has Star Wars Zero Company sold?

PC Gamer reports the game sold one million copies within a month of release.

When did Star Wars Zero Company come out?

It launched on August 27, 2026. It costs $49.99 on Steam, is published by Electronic Arts and developed by Bit Reactor.

Sources

• PC Gamer: Bit Reactor layoffs
• Bespin Bulletin
• Star Wars Zero Company on Steam