Star Wars Zero Company developer Bit Reactor has reportedly laid off numerous employees as it struggles with financial instability.
A new report first shared by Star Wars-focused website Bespin Bulletin claims the studio terminated an unspecified number of employees on Friday, Nov. 6, in its second round of cuts since August.
The Maryland-based developer previously released about 80 percent of its staff without pay just before Zero Company‘s late-August launch, as it grappled with financial concerns.
Bit Reactor just brought several of those once-sidelined workers back to the studio last month.
Now-former Star Wars Zero Company contributors are using the professional networking platform LinkedIn to announce their release from the studio. Among them is Ryan Lopez, who served as a Senior Environment Artist at the studio for nearly four years — almost as long as Bit Reactor has been in operation.
“I was laid off from Bit Reactor, LLC this week after a three-month furlough, and while it stings, I’m really proud of what we built together.”
“Thank you to everyone at Bit Reactor, LLC. It was a privilege to ship a game with you.”
UI Engineer Tyler Eichten also revealed on LinkedIn that they’d lost their position. “As of today, my time with Bit Reactor has come to a close due to a layoff. I am immensely proud of the work that I, the UI/UX team, and the team at large have accomplished. I hope that in this tumultous [sic] industry that my coworkers (and myself) find placement.”
Eichten contributed to the sleek, stylized, and user-friendly UI system seen during tactical missions.
Other Bit Reactor employees who reported layoffs include Senior QA Analyst Ryan Mosher, Producer Michael Blackard, and Principal Environment Artist Joshua Jay.
“Command an elite squad through a gritty and authentic story in STAR WARS Zero Company, a single-player turn-based tactics game set in the twilight of the Clone Wars,” the game’s Steam description explains.
Players “step into the shoes of Hawks, a former Republic officer who leads Zero Company as they are recruited for an operation that pits them against an emerging threat that will consume the galaxy if left unchecked.”
Check out the final trailer for Star Wars Zero Company on YouTube:
The Bit Reactor-developed and Electronic Arts-published sci-fi strategy game launched on August 27 to positive feedback from critics and players. At the time of writing, Zero Company boasts more than 18,000 English-language Steam reviews, 83 percent of which are generally considered positive. The game currently holds a “Very Positive” Steam user average and an 84 (out of 100) on Metacritic.
According to Video Game Insights (via GI.biz), Star Wars Zero Company has sold about 1.2 million units and generated “approximately $52.2 million in revenue.”
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