Star Wars: Zero Company, which was facing a personnel crisis just before launch, has finally received some better news. Developer Bit Reactor stated that this week they have already started bringing some previously suspended team members back to work, and will continue supporting the game’s future content. Bit Reactor CEO Greg Foertsch stated that this is an important step for the work team to continue supporting the game. For a studio that suddenly had to suspend a large number of employees right before the game’s release, finally starting to bring people back means they no longer have to rely on just a few people to carry the entire game.
Over 80% of Employees Affected Before Launch!
This incident received attention because Bit Reactor had previously suspended a large number of employees. Related reports indicated that in the weeks before the game’s release, up to 80% of employees may have been temporarily suspended, leaving only a so-called “skeleton team” to handle the game’s launch and follow-up issues. At the time, the studio’s funding situation was reportedly quite tight, and Bit Reactor stated they hoped to bring employees back to work after the game successfully launched. Now, Star Wars: Zero Company has indeed received quite positive market and player reactions, giving these temporarily laid-off developers an opportunity to get back to work.
Player Response Impressive, Game Continues Receiving Updates
Star Wars: Zero Company was created by developers who previously worked on titles like XCOM and Marvel’s Midnight Suns, and is a strategic role-playing game set in the Star Wars universe. The game received quite positive reviews upon release and topped Steam’s best-seller list in its first week, with media reviews also being favorable. The developer has already released updates fixing around 60 issues while also improving frame rate performance for players on lower-spec computers. In other words, player response at least didn’t turn this game into a “ship it and forget it” project, giving the studio more reason to continue investing.
Development Team Reassembling, Future Support Finally Looking Up!
Currently, Bit Reactor hasn’t announced exactly how many suspended employees have officially returned, or whether all employees will be able to get their jobs back. However, the studio has confirmed they are bringing “more team members” back to work, viewing this as an important step in continuing to support the game. For players, this means Star Wars: Zero Company‘s future updates and maintenance will hopefully have more manpower support. For the developers who were originally suspended, this is finally some better news — because after a game is well-received by players, the ideal scenario is for the team to expand and continue making content, rather than players shouting “update soon!” while developers are still at home waiting for news.