It wouldn’t be a new Star Wars game release without a damning controversy. 80% of the studio behind Star Wars Zero Company were furloughed a few weeks ago due to the company running out of money. On top of that a lawsuit has hit.
As we’ve reported on over the past week, the tactics game has been a massive hit. It became one of the highest rated Star Wars games of all time and reached heights even the hugely successful Jedi games did not in terms of peak concurrent player counts. The company’s CEO even wants to make more Star Wars games. However, it was not an easy road to get there and has come at a cost.
No More Credits
The new report from Game File has revealed a shocking revelation. Most of the developers at Bit Reactor have been without pay for the past few weeks. These developers have not been laid off. That’s an important distinction to make as some staff might return to work with full pay. A spokesperson for Bit Reactor told the publication that it was a “difficult decision that had been made before it was clear how launch would go.”
Additionally, Bit Reactor made it clear that it was their decision and their decision only. This was not something which EA, Lucasfilm or Disney were involved in. Lots of people are already blaming EA and Disney but they are simply not to blame here.
The studio told Game File that the intention was always to bring back these developers pay and full employment. However, a former developer that spoke with the outlet said their colleagues were not hopeful.Â
Whilst Bit Reactor did not share any more information on the matter, a source close to the situation claims just 20% of the team remains on payroll. It’s described as a skeleton crew that will fix the game’s bugs in post launch patches. There are numerous performance issues that need fixing. Sources say that the studio just simply ran out of money a few weeks before the game came out.
The Devs Speak
A cinematic artist who worked on the game, Zachariah Scott, shared LinkedIn his frustration towards his former employer. There is quite a claim there about cutting them off for any possible profit sharing. There’s also talk of empty promises and lack of transparency.
“It is sick and weird to have all of these EA and Disney folks as well as Bitreactor Senior staff making all of these 10/10 posts about Star Wars: Zero Company being such a huge success and praising the work of the team while seemingly concealing the fact that the team was Furloughed weeks ago.
It is a gross but all to 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. It would be such a different story if they had been upfront about it earlier, and now it feels like they’re trying to keep the team in a holding pattern with good vibes and more empty promises.
I may be a bit biased as I was fired from bitreactor after being involuntarily put on medical leave and then fired after months where I was forbidden from explaining those facts to the team and my friends, who all just suddenly found out wasn’t there anymore. It seems like relevant context for me to share with the Bitreactor folks, who are in a precarious position where the only lifeline they have left is promises from the management team.Zachariah Scott, a former Bit Reactor developer
I wouldn’t take those odds”
Is That Legal?
Another part of this story from Game File is a lawsuit against the studio is co-founder and game’s creative director Greg Foertsch. The former COO is taking legal action against the creative over royalties that were simply cut off following a bitter internal battle. We are not going to be diving into the entire legal situation which you can find at the source (paywalled) but we do have to take a look at some numbers on the game’s potential budget. One of the filings made lists are funding agreement made in 2021 by EA for $50 million. That’s quite low for a AAA game these days.
Cinematic artist Zachariah Scott explained that budgets were always tight during his time employed at the company and that The game was developed with “shocking austerity”. Foertsch reportedly often discussed securing new game deals to keep things going. One anecdote given is the team wanted more Lightsaber animations but they were told there isn’t enough money for it.
Looking Backwards and Forwards
Taking a step back and analysing the games marketing, some of the signs of lack of money were there. The marketing was pretty non-existent which for an EA Star Wars title doesn’t make sense. In hindsight, some of the rumblings we’ve heard previously also make a lot more sense now.
All Star Wars fans can help is that the game has made a lot of money despite being a discounted title compared to typical AAA games and that 30% cut to Steam hasn’t hurt it too much. If there’s one way to help these developers it is to purchase the game. Support their artwork and craftsmanship. It’s a great game at a great price and losing yet another independent studio (the first one that has made a Star Wars game in decades) would hurt immensely.
Have you picked up Zero Company this week? Let us know down in the comment section below.
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