{"rewrite":{"id":"r_bf9d0ca88f217949156b61a5","clusterId":"c_1bebd21cd3ab30178afde560","slug":"bit-reactor-lays-off-staff-after-star-wars-zero-company-sells-1-million","model":"deepseek-v4-1-flash","headline":"Bit Reactor Lays Off Staff After STAR WARS Zero Company Sells 1 Million","summary":"Developers at Bit Reactor, the studio behind STAR WARS Zero Company, have reported layoffs on LinkedIn from November 6 onward, after roughly 80% of the team was on unpaid leave in September and some returned in October. EA announced the game passed 1 million units sold on October 10, and it holds a Very Positive Steam rating. No official Bit Reactor statement has been confirmed.","whyItMatters":"The layoffs land after the studio tied staff returns to the game's commercial performance, and the game did sell, which leaves the stated condition met and the full return still unachieved.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eRyan Lopez, an environment artist who worked on the game for three and a half years, reported on LinkedIn that he was laid off after a period of leave, which suggests he did not return before the cut. Several other staff have also posted layoffs. It is not stated whether they were on leave, and it is unclear whether employees who came back in October were among those let go.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe timing is awkward for the studio\u0026#39;s own account. On October 8, Bit Reactor said it had begun bringing employees back, and two days later the EA Star Wars X account announced the game had surpassed 1 million units sold. Version 1.2 shipped on October 15 with patch notes pointing to a future update for campaign difficulty adjustment. Whether that update is affected is not clear.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Bit Reactor staff began reporting layoffs on LinkedIn from Nov 6, after 80% of the team went on unpaid leave in September and some returned in October. The game passed 1 million sold on Oct 10. No official studio statement yet.","twitterPost":"Bit Reactor layoffs reported on LinkedIn from Nov 6. In September about 80% of the STAR WARS Zero Company team was on unpaid leave; some returned in October. The game passed 1 million sold on Oct 10. No official statement confirmed.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Developers at Bit Reactor have reported layoffs on LinkedIn starting November 6, weeks after the studio began bringing back staff who had been on unpaid leave. STAR WARS Zero Company passed 1 million units sold on October 10 and holds a Very Positive Steam rating. Bit Reactor has not issued an official statement.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Automaton\",\"url\":\"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20261109-478186/\",\"title\":\"Reported to Avoid Layoffs If Sales Were Good, STAR WARS Zero Company Developer Reportedly Lays Off Some Staff Anyway, Despite Selling Well\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":5525,"outputTokens":756,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1794191619,"createdAt":"2026-11-09T02:29:56.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-11-09T02:32:30.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-11-09T02:32:30.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_1bebd21cd3ab30178afde560","canonicalTitle":"「売れ行き次第でレイオフ回避」と報じられた『STAR WARS ゼロ・カンパニー』開発元、一部スタッフは結局レイオフか。ちゃんと売れてるのに","representativeArticleId":"a_4454898b81e160f5b5b8f347","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Star Wars: Zero Company\"],\"studios\":[\"Bit Reactor\"],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"business\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-11-09T01:56:05.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-11-09T01:56:05.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-11-09T02:32:27.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Automaton","url":"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20261109-478186/","title":"「売れ行き次第でレイオフ回避」と報じられた『STAR WARS ゼロ・カンパニー』開発元、一部スタッフは結局レイオフか。ちゃんと売れてるのに"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Star Wars: Zero Company"],"studios":["Bit Reactor"],"people":[],"type":"business","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Multiple Bit Reactor developers reported layoffs on LinkedIn from November 6 onward.","About 80% of the STAR WARS Zero Company development team was on unpaid leave in September, and Bit Reactor said on October 8 it had begun bringing staff back.","The EA Star Wars X account announced on October 10 that the game surpassed 1 million units sold.","STAR WARS Zero Company holds a Very Positive Steam rating, with 83% of about 23,500 reviews favorable.","The game is available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and the EA app."],"pageLinks":{"healthSlugs":["star-wars-zero-company","bit-reactor"],"storySlugs":[],"entities":[{"slug":"star-wars-zero-company","supported":1,"disputed":0,"contradicted":0,"unverified":7,"overall":"green","story_count":4,"has_dossier":false},{"slug":"bit-reactor","supported":0,"disputed":0,"contradicted":0,"unverified":11,"overall":"unverified","story_count":3,"has_dossier":true}],"stories":[],"entitiesOk":true,"storiesOk":true}}