Game developer Bit Reactor reportedly placed the vast majority of its staff on unpaid furlough just weeks prior to the commercial release of its highly praised new tactical title, Star Wars Zero Company.
According to initial details reported by Game File, the independent development studio exhausted its operating funds shortly before the game was scheduled to ship to consumers. Sources close to the company indicated that as much as 80 percent of the development team was sent home without compensation, leaving only a minimal skeleton crew behind to handle final polish and launch duties. Representatives from Bit Reactor subsequently confirmed that the choice to enact furloughs was made internally by studio leadership, rather than being dictated by external partners such as publisher Electronic Arts or IP owner Lucasfilm and Disney.
The extent of the financial crisis was further corroborated by recent court filings tied to a 2024 lawsuit brought by Bit Reactor co-founder Alison Kelly. The updated legal documentation explicitly notes that the majority of studio employees were placed on leave. Former senior technical artist Zachariah Scott also corroborated the timeline in public posts and interviews, explaining that workers were informed of the unpaid furlough roughly three weeks ahead of launch day.
The news comes as a sharp contrast to the overwhelming success of Star Wars Zero Company at retail. Launched to widespread critical acclaim last week, the tactical title swiftly surged to the top of Steam’s sales charts as the platform's best-selling paid game. Furthermore, its peak concurrent player figures on Steam rapidly surpassed the historical records set by Respawn Entertainment’s popular action-adventure hit, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
Although affected staff expressed optimism that strong initial sales might generate enough capital for Bit Reactor to reinstate their positions, significant doubts remain regarding the studio's long-term plans. With no public announcements concerning future projects or prospective expansions, some former employees fear that even stellar sales performance may not be sufficient to bring the full development team back to work in the coming weeks.
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