Greg Foertsch
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Star Wars Zero Company Studio Furloughed Many Employees Weeks Before Release
Developer Bit Reactor furloughed a significant portion of its staff weeks before the release of Star Wars Zero Company, a decision confirmed by a company representative as necessary for survival. This news comes amidst a lawsuit filed by co-founder Alison Kelly and reports of employees working without pay, though the company plans to rehire furloughed workers post-launch. Despite these internal issues, the game has received critical acclaim and positive player reception on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Star Wars Zero Company Review – The Tactics Federation
Star Wars: Zero Company is a highly praised tactics game developed by Bit Reactor, featuring a compelling narrative and deep tactical gameplay reminiscent of XCOM. The game excels with its diverse cast of characters, sharp writing, and smart mechanical adjustments, though it suffers from limited enemy variety and performance issues on PC. Despite its flaws, it offers an exceptional tactical sandbox and a worthy Star Wars experience.
Star Wars Zero Company interview – ‘we finally brought this genre to new people'
Developers from Bit Reactor, including directors Greg Foertsch and James Brawley, discuss their upcoming turn-based strategy game Star Wars Zero Company. Having previously worked on the XCOM series at Firaxis Games, they aim to blend authentic Star Wars storytelling with deep tactical gameplay, making the genre more accessible to a wider audience. The interview also touches on design choices, narrative integration, and the challenges of adapting beloved IPs.
"Time will tell": Bit Reactor talk queerness in Star Wars: Zero Company and whether they'll keep working with Saudi-owned EA
Bit Reactor discusses the inclusion of queer representation in their upcoming game Star Wars: Zero Company, noting the player's ability to define their character's identity. The article also explores concerns surrounding Electronic Arts' recent acquisition by a Saudi-led consortium, questioning the potential impact on games with progressive themes.
Star Wars Zero Company wants to be more than XCOM with lightsabers: "Gamers are more sophisticated now"
Star Wars Zero Company, developed by Bit Reactor, aims to transcend the typical turn-based tactics genre by offering a more sophisticated experience for modern gamers. Director Greg Foertsch and narrative director Aaron Contreras emphasize unique inspirations like film noir and spy thrillers, while gameplay veterans from XCOM and Marvel's Midnight Suns are working to blend familiar tactical combat with a strong narrative focus and a player-driven avatar character. The game is set to release on August 27, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC.
Star Wars: Zero Company will be brilliant because XCOM is brilliant
Star Wars: Zero Company aims to blend the acclaimed turn-based tactics of XCOM with the Star Wars universe. Developed by Bit Reactor, a studio with many ex-Firaxis XCOM developers, the game features a linear narrative, third-person exploration segments in its base, and new mechanics like operator 'bonds' and 'Operations' to deepen squad management. The preview highlights how these additions, alongside familiar XCOM-like gameplay loops, create a compelling experience that feels both familiar and fresh.
Star Wars Zero Company is deep strategy wrapped in a beautiful package
Star Wars Zero Company is a turn-based strategy game that blends deep tactical combat with extensive character and squad customization. The game features a unique Star Wars story with original characters and a presentation that rivals AAA titles. Its base-building and character bonding mechanics offer a sense of place and attachment not often seen in the genre, making it a potentially strong entry point for newcomers.
Star Wars Zero Company is a very safe XCOM descendant, but its most interesting parts are found in its Midnight Suns DNA
Star Wars Zero Company offers a familiar turn-based tactical experience reminiscent of XCOM, developed by veterans from Firaxis Games. While it successfully captures the core XCOM gameplay loop, including permadeath and strategic combat, its most innovative elements draw inspiration from Marvel's Midnight Suns, such as enhanced squad camaraderie and pre-battle interactions. Despite its strengths in squad management and build variety, the game's reliance on established mechanics and somewhat repetitive combat arenas temper expectations for it to significantly advance the genre.
Star Wars Zero Company Is Good But Seems To Play Things Too Safe
Star Wars Zero Company is a competent turn-based tactics game that draws heavily from the XCOM formula, but it plays things too safe and fails to distinguish itself from its peers. While the game features a compelling Star Wars setting and a focus on character relationships and narrative, its core gameplay mechanics feel overly familiar. The developers at Bit Reactor, comprised of former XCOM team members, aim to push the genre forward, but the early hours suggest a reliance on established mechanics rather than innovation.
Star Wars Zero Company brings XCOM-style strategy to a galaxy far, far away
Star Wars Zero Company, developed by Bit Reactor, brings XCOM-style turn-based tactics to the Star Wars universe. Players lead a customizable mercenary group, facing permadeath and building bonds between characters. The game is set to release on August 27 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, though some performance concerns were noted in the preview build.
You only get one, permakillable Jedi Padawan in Star Wars Zero Company, but that's fine because I'm going to roll an R2-D2 deathsquad anyway
Star Wars Zero Company, a tactics RPG from Bit Reactor and Electronic Arts, features a permakillable Jedi Padawan named Tel-Rea, but allows players to field entire squads of R2-D2 units. The game will be a 30-40 hour linear experience with 12 classes, no plot branching, and no modding support. Players can choose to disable permadeath, and the game launches on August 27th.
Star Wars Zero Company is going all in on Clone customisation, but my favourite armour is restricted to the Deluxe…
Star Wars Zero Company developer Bit Reactor has detailed its extensive Clone Trooper customization options, including paint jobs, patterns, and helmet voice modulation. While most cosmetic options are available from the start, the classic Phase 1 ARC Trooper armor is exclusive to the Deluxe Edition's 'Grand Army of the Republic' pack. The developer confirmed there are no plans for monetization or microtransactions outside of this edition.
Star Wars Zero Company: How Some of the Greatest Minds in Tactics Games are Pushing the Genre, Again
Star Wars Zero Company, the debut title from Bit Reactor, a studio founded by former Firaxis developers, is a turn-based tactics game set during the Clone Wars. Players will lead a company of mercenaries, customizing their protagonist Hawks and recruiting a diverse roster of characters. The game blends RPG storytelling with XCOM-style tactical combat, featuring a deep bond system between characters and a specialization system for combat roles.
Star Wars: Zero Company Creators Talk Canon, Character Customization and More | IGN Live 2026
Star Wars: Zero Company Director Greg Foertsch and Lead Designer James Brawley discussed the upcoming single-player turn-based tactics game at IGN Live. Set during the twilight of the Clone Wars, the game will explore the political and behind-the-scenes conflicts occurring beneath the main war.
Star Wars Zero Company confirmed for August release as former XCOM devs debut action-packed gameplay trailer
Star Wars Zero Company, a new strategy game from XCOM veterans at Bit Reactor, will launch on August 27 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X. The game features turn-based tactical gameplay set during the Clone Wars, with players controlling a mercenary outfit called Zero Company.
Star Wars Zero Company launches in August
Electronic Arts, Bit Reactor, and Respawn Entertainment have announced that Star Wars Zero Company, a new single-player turn-based strategy game, will launch on August 27th for Windows PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5. The game is set during the Clone Wars and features customizable characters and squad-based tactical combat.
Star Wars Zero Company release date leaks ahead of Summer Game Fest, and its XCOM-ish star warring isn't too far, far away
Star Wars Zero Company, a turn-based strategy game from Bit Reactor and Respawn Entertainment, is reportedly set to release on August 27, 2026, according to a leak. The game will feature permadeath for units and is expected to cost $49.99 for the standard edition and $59.99 for the deluxe edition on PC.
Star Wars Zero Company’s Characters Will Have Friction, is “Not a Personal Fantasy Game”
Star Wars Zero Company, developed by Bit Reactor, will feature character friction and avoid a "chosen one" narrative, focusing instead on the team of operators. Narrative director Aaron Contreras stated it's a tactical strategy game about managing diverse personalities and dealing with moral ambiguity during the Clone Wars era. Studio founder Greg Foertsch highlighted Respawn Entertainment and Lucasfilm Games' courage in funding a new studio for a niche genre.
"Keeping teams together doesn't seem to matter to people, but for us it did": Star Wars Zero Company's director on what the industry can learn from XCOM 2
Greg Foertsch, director of Star Wars Zero Company and former art director on XCOM 2, emphasizes the importance of keeping development teams together to foster institutional knowledge and trust. He argues that this cohesion, demonstrated by Firaxis Games' work on the XCOM series, leads to better games and is a valuable lesson for an industry frequently impacted by layoffs.
Star Wars Zero Company Studio Founder Says Respawn Entertainment, Lucasfilm Are to Thank
Greg Foertsch, founder of Bit Reactor, credits Lucasfilm and Respawn Entertainment for taking a chance on the niche turn-based tactics game Star Wars Zero Company. Foertsch detailed how a call from Vince Zampella led to the project's inception. The game is set between Episode 2 and Episode 3 and is scheduled for release on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S later this year.