Overview
- Bit Reactor announced Wednesday that it has begun returning more developers who were furloughed before launch and an industry source told Game File that payroll headcount is now above half of pre-furlough levels.
- The studio placed most of its development team on furlough a few weeks before the game's release, keeping employees technically on staff but without pay or benefits.
- Independent data firm Alinea Analytics estimates Zero Company has sold more than 1 million copies, a commercial performance reporters say likely helped the studio restore headcount even though the company has not tied rehiring to specific revenue figures.
- Bit Reactor attributed the original furloughs to “unexpected business developments outside of our control” and remains publicly vague while an ongoing legal dispute between cofounder Greg Foertsch and former CFO Alison Kelly continues and could stretch toward a 2027 trial.
- Many former furloughed staff remain off payroll and questions remain about back pay, profit sharing and the studio’s ability to staff future updates; the Department of Labor only requires public reporting of mass furloughs under specific conditions, which can leave such actions private for months.