Star Wars Zero Company is a Steam bestseller — and Bit Reactor just furloughed up to 80% of its staff

Bit Reactor, the studio behind the newly launched tactical RPG Star Wars Zero Company, has furloughed the majority of its staff right around the game's release, according to a report from Game File. A studio representative confirmed the furloughs but declined to specify how many employees are affected. Other sources cited by Game File put the figure at up to 80% of the studio.

The Bit Reactor rep said the decision was driven by uncertainty over the game's launch performance, and stressed it was Bit Reactor's call — not EA's or Disney's. Furloughed staff are technically still employed but receive no pay during the period, and the studio says it hopes to bring them back on full wages. The timing is striking: Star Wars Zero Company launched on August 28 to near-unanimous critical praise and immediately shot to the top of Steam's bestseller chart, with PC Gamer's Ted Litchfield calling it "a new all-timer Star Wars game and a stunning debut for Bit Reactor." The game also released simultaneously on PS5 and Xbox.

Former Bit Reactor staffer Zachariah Scott, who was let go earlier this year, called out the situation on LinkedIn. He criticized EA, Disney, and senior Bit Reactor staff for posting glowing praise about the game's success while "seemingly concealing the fact that the team was furloughed weeks ago." Scott also took aim at the broader pattern: "It is a gross but all too common sight to see, another corporate game hitting the top of Steam while the team is left looking for work and cut off from any possible profit sharing."

The situation lands as a grim snapshot of where the games industry stands right now — a studio ships a critically acclaimed, commercially successful AAA game published by one of the biggest publishers in the world, and the people who made it are still left without pay. Whether furloughed staff actually return remains to be seen.