Bit Reactor starts bringing furloughed Star Wars Zero Company staff back to work
Bit Reactor, the studio behind Star Wars Zero Company, has begun re-hiring some staff after a massive pre-launch furlough. According to reports from IGN, VGC, and GameSpot, around 80% of the developer's employees were placed on unpaid leave just before the game's release in late August.
CEO Greg Foertsch announced the partial returns in a public statement on October 7, per VGC. He called the furloughs a "difficult decision" made due to "unexpected business developments outside of our control," but said they were necessary to eventually bring people back.
Foertsch stated the returning team members mark progress in the studio's ongoing work on Zero Company. He said the developer plans to provide more news on its projects in the near future.
Sources speaking to GameFile, as reported by both IGN and VGC, indicate the studio's current payroll is now more than half of its pre-furlough size. This means a significant number of developers originally let go are still not receiving pay.
The furloughs occurred despite Zero Company's strong commercial performance. VGC notes the game ranked as the sixth-highest revenue-generating PC title in major Western markets for August, according to data from Newzoo.
