Overview
- Bit Reactor furloughed a large share of its team before Star Wars: Zero Company’s August launch, with earlier reports saying up to about 80% of staff were stepped away while the studio faced severe cash shortfalls.
- Zero Company performed strongly after release, with reports that it sold roughly one million copies within a month, but strong sales did not immediately resolve the studio’s financial strain.
- The studio rehired some previously furloughed employees in October as part of a phased return to work, though reports said not all returns were to full pay.
- On Friday, November 6, several developers publicly announced on LinkedIn that they had been laid off after the partial rehiring, including Ryan Lopez, Tyler Eichten, Ryan Mosher and Michael Blackard.
- Bit Reactor’s CEO posted that the initial furloughs were caused by external business developments, the company has not released figures for the latest layoffs, and the uncertainty raises questions about employee support and the studio’s financial outlook.