Electronic Arts is stepping back into Star Wars with something genuinely different: a single-player, turn-based tactics game set during the twilight of the Clone Wars. Star Wars Zero Company launches August 27 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, developed by Bit Reactor – a studio founded by veterans of Firaxis’ XCOM series – in collaboration with Respawn Entertainment and Lucasfilm Games. Here’s what the game is, who’s leading the squad, and why tactics fans should have this one on their radar.
What Is Star Wars Zero Company?
Zero Company puts players in command of an elite, unconventional squad of operatives navigating a cinematic original story set in the Clone Wars era. Rather than following the Republic’s standard clone army, the roster leans into scoundrels, astromechs, and even a Jedi working together outside the normal chain of command.
Key features revealed so far include:
- Turn-based tactical combat across an ever-shifting battlefield
- A base-of-operations layer where players manage and upgrade their squad between missions
- Branching outcomes based on player decisions that affect how the story unfolds
- Deep customization of squad members’ loadouts, abilities, and appearance
The Squad
The gameplay trailer showcased a roster built around a wide variety of character archetypes, with an appearance from a young Anakin Skywalker adding a direct tie to the wider Star Wars timeline. Bit Reactor has leaned into original characters rather than leaning entirely on established Star Wars names, giving the story more room to take risks with who lives, dies, or changes sides.
Who’s Making It
Bit Reactor was founded by former Firaxis developers who worked on the modern XCOM series, and that pedigree shows in Zero Company’s turn-based, squad-tactics DNA. The studio is working alongside Respawn Entertainment and Lucasfilm Games, with Electronic Arts publishing. It’s EA’s most substantial new Star Wars game since Jedi: Survivor, and the first major swing at a turn-based tactics entry in the license since the Republic Commando era of Star Wars games.
Release Details
Star Wars Zero Company launches August 27 on PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Pre-orders are live now, with a bonus cosmetic pack offered to players who pre-purchase.
For a franchise that’s leaned heavily on action and shooters in recent years, a grounded tactics game built by an XCOM-pedigree studio is a notable change of pace. If Bit Reactor nails the tone and the tactical depth, Zero Company could carve out a permanent spot alongside XCOM and Mario + Rabbids in the genre’s upper tier.
Star Wars Zero Company arrives August 27. Are you ready to command your own squad through the Clone Wars, or does this genre shift have you skeptical? Come talk about it in the NerdBlocks forum.
