Bit Reactor layoffs hit Star Wars Zero Company team a month after rehiring, despite 1 million sales

The latest round of Bit Reactor layoffs has landed on the studio behind Star Wars: Zero Company just a month after it began calling furloughed developers back to work. The number of people affected has not been disclosed.

What we know about the Bit Reactor layoffs

News of the cuts surfaced on Friday, 6 November, when several developers posted on LinkedIn that they had been let go. Star Wars outlet Bespin Bulletin was first to report it. As of the reports from Eurogamer and Rock Paper Shotgun, the studio had not commented publicly, and neither outlet could say how many staff were involved.

Those who have spoken up include senior environment artist Ryan Lopez, who spent roughly three and a half years on the game from pre-production through launch. He said he was laid off “after a three-month furlough” and added, “while it stings, I’m really proud of what we built together.” UI engineer Tyler Eichten, who worked on much of the interface for the tactical missions, said his time at the studio had ended “due to a layoff.” Senior QA analyst Ryan Mosher and producer Michael Blackard also reported being let go.

A rocky run from furlough to launch and back

The cuts are the latest turn in a turbulent few months. Bit Reactor furloughed most of its staff in the weeks before Zero Company launched on 27 August. One source put the figure at around 80 percent, and the studio appeared to have run out of money just short of release.

The game did well anyway. It is thought to have sold more than a million copies within a month, and Eurogamer gave it four out of five stars. On 7 October, CEO Greg Foertsch said on Bluesky that the studio had “started the process of returning more of our team back to work.” He called the furloughs “an incredibly difficult decision” but said it was necessary to help bring “as many people back as possible.” A separate report suggested more than half the studio returned, though not everyone went back on full pay.

Unanswered questions

The sources leave real gaps. It is unclear whether any of those laid off this week had been among the staff recalled in October. Lopez’s description of a three-month furlough followed by a layoff suggests at least some of those affected may never have returned. That is an inference from his post, not something the studio has confirmed.

Nor is there any explanation from the studio of why further cuts were needed when the game had sold so well. Without a statement from Bit Reactor, it is also unknown how large the remaining team is.

For now, the Bit Reactor layoffs underline how precarious development can be even for a critically praised, commercially successful release. Eichten’s post voiced the hope that, “in this tumultuous industry,” he and his colleagues will find new work.

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