It’s been a long time since a Star Wars game has entered the tactical genre, but the upcoming Star Wars Zero Company aims to change that. The single-player title, developed by Bit Reactor in collaboration with Respawn Entertainment and Lucasfilm Games, looks to blend turn-based, tactical combat with deeper narrative systems, pulling inspirations from games like Firaxis Games’ XCOM series and BioWare’s Mass Effect. Star Wars Zero Company is currently slated for release in 2026 with no specific date yet revealed.
Star Wars Zero Company takes place during the Clone Wars, and puts players in command of an elite squad of rag-tag specialists for hire, including a Jedi Padawan and Mandalorian warrior. The team faces off against galactic threats including the Separatist droid army and a greater, yet unnamed, enemy lurking in the shadows. Positioning, unique abilities, and planning all play a role in determining combat success, with gameplay that looks like players will have to make deliberate, methodical moves to survive. While Star Wars games have experimented with different genres over the years, a tactics-focused approach like this is still relatively uncommon. That means Star Wars Zero Company could be a breath of fresh air for the franchise.
The Force isn’t the Only Thing That Needs to Be Balanced in Star Wars Zero Company
Star Wars Zero Company faces an uphill battle in terms of balancing lightsaber-wielding Jedi class archetypes into turn-based tactical gameplay.
Star Wars Zero Company Blends Tactical Combat, Finality, and Squad Storytelling
In a recent interview with PC Gamer, Bit Reactor founder Greg Foertsch talked about the deliberate choices the team has made when it comes to crafting their ideal Star Wars story. Beyond its tactical combat, Star Wars Zero Company also has a strong emphasis on characters and the role they play in the narrative. Players step into the role of Hawks, a former republic officer leading a squad that includes both written and custom characters from various backgrounds. Players have flexibility in how they build and manage their team throughout the campaign, which can also influence how the story unfolds.
The focus on utilizing a team also extends beyond the game’s combat. Between missions, players will build out a base of operations, gather intelligence, and deploy informants to various locations across the galaxy to complete non-combat operations. This system introduces another element of strategy. Rather than simply progressing from battle to battle, players are expected to think carefully about how they build and manage their squad over time. Time passes in cycles, which bring new missions and operations.
Like Mass Effect before it, the player’s team is at the center of the story. Bit Reactor has placed a clear emphasis on player choice, and how much weight decisions can carry. Choices made throughout the campaign can impact the squad and the story, with success often tied to how well players manage their team and available resources. Star Wars Zero Company highlights the importance of bonds formed between squad members, which can affect combat through synergistic character abilities. While the initial gameplay reveal showed some combat with droids, it’s very likely players can expect plenty of Star Wars enemy variety considering the breadth of the universe.
Another notable feature that Star Wars Zero Company shares with games like XCOM is permadeath. Which shouldn’t really come as a surprise, considering Bit Reactor was founded by former Firaxis Games developers. Squad members who fall in combat are gone permanently, raising the stakes for every mission and reinforcing the need for careful planning. The only character that is safe from this feature is Hawks. If they die, the player will need to restart the mission. Foertsch said permadeath was a very intentional choice, and that loss is one of the central themes to any Star Wars story.
From what the developer has revealed so far, Star Wars Zero Company is shaping up to be an emotional and challenging entry in the franchise. By combining turn-based tactics, squad management, relationship-driven systems, and high-stakes decision-making, it looks to deliver something that feels both familiar and distinct in what can sometimes be an over-saturated universe. If it delivers on that vision, Star Wars Zero Company could appeal to players looking for a more thoughtful and methodical take on a Star Wars story. Overall, 2026 could be a great year for Star Wars.
- Released
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2026
- Developer(s)
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Bit Reactor
