Back in February 2024, EA had a mass layoff that saw 5% of the company cut and the cancellation of an FPS Star Wars game that was in development at Respawn. That meant the only Star Wars games (that we knew of) in development under EA and Respawn were the third Star Wars Jedi game, and a tactics-focused, XCOM-like game from BitReactor, which we eventually learned was called Star Wars: Zero Company.
At first glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Zero Company is just ‘XCOM but make it Star Wars,’ especially because BitReactor was founded by a bunch of XCOM veterans led by Greg Foerstch, and in some ways, it definitely does seem to be XCOM but make it Star Wars. But a new preview from PC Gamer, who got the chance to speak with Foerstch and other members of the development team reveals a few new details about how Zero Company is more than that elevator pitch.
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“The gameplay is what it is about,” said Foerstch, when discussing Zero Company’s core. “But depth doesn’t cost you elegance. You can absolutely have [graphics and storytelling], and not to mention, this genre in particular, you should have those things.”
Animation lead Hector Antunez added, “We pick our battles. The heart of the game is in the tactical combat. But we really wanted to add an element that allowed players to spend even more time in the Star Wars environments and not have those spaces be limited by what would make for fun combat.”
Antunez is referring to how Zero Company gives you the chance to sit still in between battles and talk with your companions. You get to walk through iconic Star Wars locations, breathe in those worlds, and experience the story around the battles. It’s a key part of what makes Zero Company a game that has a narrative focus almost as much as a gameplay focus.
“I’ve spent a lot of time poring through books or going on Wookieepedia and going, ‘OK, I have a story I want to tell. What’s a planet that makes sense during the Clone Wars era that I could tell that story,” added lead designer Grayson Scantlebury. “Or vice versa: I’m just browsing through and going, ‘Well, what happened on Bespin at this time, or Lothal at this time?’“
BitReactor also confirmed that one similar element between Zero Company and XCOM will be permadeath, which was inserted into the game after narrative lead Aaron Contreras lost an argument about permadeath, but maintains it was a good thing they did.
“It was a challenge that we embraced midway through production. About 13 months ago, I lost an argument about permadeath, and it was good that I did, it was the right decision for the game.” BitReactor founder Foerstch added, “Star Wars is about loss. I mean, four years old, watching Obi-Wan Kenobi die, right? It’s about loss, and then also, as a developer, wanting people to not save scum, but to push through the loss, to what’s on the other side of the experience, to feel it.”
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