Developer Bit Reactor has begun bringing back employees it furloughed just before the release of its debut title, Star Wars Zero Company. The studio announced earlier this week that it was reversing what CEO Greg Foertsch described as a “difficult decision,” following the mass layoffs that left much of its workforce unpaid even as players began accessing the game.
The furloughs came at a critical moment for Bit Reactor, which had been preparing to launch Star Wars Zero Company. According to reports from Game File, around 80 percent of the studio’s employees were affected by the layoffs. Foertsch attributed the decision to “unexpected business developments outside of our control,” while noting it was “necessary to help us eventually bring as many people back as possible.”
An unnamed source familiar with the situation told PC Gamer that the developer’s payroll has since recovered to more than half its pre-furlough size. The report clarified that the decision rested with Bit Reactor rather than publisher EA.
Star Wars Zero Company launched amid some technical issues, though several of the most prominent problems were later addressed. Despite this, the game climbed the Steam bestseller chart and received praise from PC Gamer associate editor Ted Litchfield, who called it “a new all-timer Star Wars game and a stunning debut for Bit Reactor.”
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