Star Wars Zero Company Studio is All-In on Tactical Combat, but “Depth Doesn’t Cost You Elegance”

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After a promising first look last year, BitReactor’s Star Wars Zero Company is back in the spotlight with a new feature in PC Gamer, revealing more about what makes it a must-play for Star Wars fans. Considering the team’s background – founder Greg Foerstch previously led art direction on popular strategy games like XCOM: Enemy Within and XCOM 2: War of the Chosen – it might seem like another tactical strategy game.

It’s more than just how the game plays, though. Engaging gameplay doesn’t mean sacrificing style. In fact, games in this genre should have strong graphics and a compelling story, and you can definitely have both.

“We’re careful about what we focus on,” explained Hector Antunez, the animation lead. “The core of the game is the strategic fighting, but we also wanted players to be able to explore the Star Wars worlds more fully. We didn’t want those environments to be restricted by only what would work well for combat.”

I loved how XCOM let you build up your base, research tech, and send your squad on missions, but Star Wars Zero Company takes that a step further! The characters aren’t just soldiers; they feel like real companions with their own histories and, honestly, a lot of drama between them. The lead designer, Grayson Scantlebury, even told me he spent ages researching the Clone Wars era – diving into books and Wookieepedia – to figure out which planets would make the most sense for the story he wanted to tell.

Sometimes I’ll flip it around and think, ‘What was going on in places like Bespin or Lothal during this period?’

However, your teammates aren’t invincible. If they fall in battle, they’re gone for good, and the game’s narrative lead, Aaron Contreras, believes this is a good thing. He admits losing a debate about including permadeath, but says it ultimately proved to be the correct choice for the game’s design.

According to Foerstch, a key theme in Star Wars is dealing with loss. He points to the impact of seeing Obi-Wan Kenobi die as a child, and explains the game design aims to encourage players to accept loss and move forward, rather than repeatedly trying to avoid it. This emotional resonance, particularly with shows like Andor, should appeal to modern fans.

While a specific date hasn’t been announced, Star Wars Zero Company is coming to PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 later this year. You can find details about character creation and gameplay features on their website.

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2026-03-29 20:11