Star Wars Zero Company: Despite its success, 80% of the team reportedly furloughed without pay

Things seem to be going pretty well for Star Wars Zero Company. The turn-based tactics game from Bit Reactor has been well received by critics and, based on player numbers, ranks as the second most successful game in the franchise behind LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. Behind the scenes, however, things appear to be far less rosy. As Game File reports, Bit Reactor furloughed a large portion of its staff without pay even before the game's release.

Bit Reactor reportedly confirmed the unpaid furloughs to Game File but did not provide specific numbers. According to an anonymous Game File source, however, around 80% of the team is said to be affected. As the developers confirmed to the gaming publication, the decision reportedly had nothing to do with EA or Disney. Instead, the reason appears to have been financial: Bit Reactor apparently ran out of money.

According to one of the publication's sources, only a small core team currently remains on the payroll, tasked with handling potential post-launch bugs, among other things. However, the studio has not given up on the furloughed employees. Bit Reactor intends to bring them back once its financial situation allows, according to Game File. The strong launch of Star Wars Zero Company could help with that.

Community torn between boycott and sympathy

On Reddit, the news is drawing plenty of criticism. Many users are stunned that a game is climbing the Steam charts while most of its development team is sitting at home without pay. Some even say they will not buy Zero Company (PS5 version currently $59 Euro on Amazon) under these circumstances. Others, however, are skeptical about a boycott: Since Bit Reactor apparently simply ran out of money and seems to be relying on the game's success to bring employees back, buying the game could ultimately do more to help than boycotting it.