Star Wars Zero Company developer Bit Reactor furloughed “many of its workers” prior to the game’s release.
A representative for Bit Reactor told Game File it was a “difficult decision” made “before it was clear how the launch would go.” They also clarified that it was not influenced by publisher Electronic Arts or Star Wars license holder Disney.
Zero Company has been positively received by players and critics, and is currently ranked second on Steam’s top sellers list.
Sources told Game File that 80% of Bit Reactor’s staff were furloughed, leaving a skeleton crew to address any post-launch bugs for Zero Company.
The decision was reportedly due to Bit Reactor having “run out of most of its money just ahead of the launch of its first game.”
Former senior technical artist Zachariah Scott claimed on LinkedIn that the studio was “concealing the fact that the team was furloughed weeks ago.”
Scott also told Game File that budgets were “tight” during his tenure and that studio founder Greg Foertsch “often mentioned hoping to secure a new game deal to keep things going.”
Scott recalled that developers wanted more lightsaber animations but were told there was not enough budget. He described the project as developed with “shocking austerity.”
Bit Reactor’s representative said the studio “hoped to bring furloughed workers back, suggesting that a successful launch of the game could be impactful.”
However, Scott noted that staff he spoke with “were less confident that even if there were returns, that all who were furloughed would get their old jobs again.”
The furloughs were also referenced in a 2024 lawsuit filed by former chief operating officer Alison Kelly, which noted the studio also “terminated contractors.”
The filing centres on whether Kelly is a co-owner of Bit Reactor or if Foertsch is the sole owner, with Kelly alleging that Foertsch pushed her out of the company.
Kelly referenced a draft operating agreement from April 2021 that proposed splitting the company’s shares among Foertsch, Kelly, and early co-founder Tom Whittaker. Whittaker and another co-founder, Steve Meyer, have since left the studio.
Foertsch’s legal representatives argued the draft agreement was never signed, indicating Kelly was not an owner, and claimed she was terminated for poor job performance. Kelly denied these claims and is seeking over $20 million in damages.