According to a report by Game File’s Stephen Totilo, “most” of Star Wars Zero Company’s studio, Bit Reactor, has been without pay since before launch. A sizeable chunk of the staff were furloughed ahead of release, with a rep for Bit Reactor telling Totilo that it was “a difficult decision and one that had been made before it was clear how launch would go.”
Zero Company received a warm reception on release, with our own Ben Sledge giving it a healthy 8/10, with the “triple-A polish” enhancing “a thrilling narrative.” Despite this, and many other positive reviews, it appears as though Bit Reactor is on unsteady ground, at least financially.
Totilo references another of his sources, who says that the furloughs impacted “80% of the team,” with a third referring to a “skeleton crew” being left behind on the payroll to iron out any post-launch bugs. The Bit Reactor rep who spoke to Game File said that “the studio hoped to bring furloughed workers back with restored pay, suggesting that a successful launch of the game could be impactful.”
Positive reviews aside, it’s difficult to say what counts as a “successful launch” these days – financial targets don’t often equate to audience reaction. We have reached out to Bit Reactor for comment, and will update this story as we know more.