Everything We Know About Star Wars Zero Company — A Promising XCOM-Style Tactics Game

Electronic Arts first unveiled Star Wars Zero Company last spring, and the project immediately caught the attention of tactics fans due to its obvious similarities to XCOM: Enemy Unknown and XCOM 2 from Firaxis. Since then, there has been almost no news about Zero Company, but recently new details and full previews of the game have finally started to appear online. From what we can tell, it’s shaping up to be a very intriguing project. We’ve gathered the most interesting details in this article.

Star Wars Zero Company is a single-player tactical game with turn-based combat, set during the final days of the Clone Wars, roughly a year before the formation of the Galactic Empire. Players take on the role of Hawks — a customizable character who leads a mercenary squad known as Zero Company.

The team is recruited for an operation against a new threat that is secretly spreading across the galaxy. Hawks will have to command a diverse group of allies — from clones and droids to Jedi and Mandalorians. Some of them are fixed story characters, while others are fully customizable. The squad members don’t get along particularly well, so managing their cooperation becomes an important part of the experience.

As in XCOM, the game can roughly be divided into two core components: turn-based combat missions where you control your squad on the battlefield, and a strategic layer between missions, where the player plans future actions and develops both the base and the characters.

The combat system is clearly inspired by XCOM: it features a similar action point system per turn and places the same strong emphasis on the importance of cover. And yes, Zero Company is just as unforgiving — including permanent character death. Games with such mechanics often end up among the most engaging tactical titles.

Between missions, players can interact with companions, level them up, purchase equipment, and recruit new fighters. There is a noticeable emphasis on team relationships, dialogue, and cinematic cutscenes, which makes the game feel like a full-fledged story-driven adventure in the spirit of Mass Effect. A somewhat similar approach was seen in Marvel's Midnight Suns from Firaxis.

The fact that the project heavily relies on concepts and ideas from XCOM and Marvel's Midnight Suns is no coincidence — it is being developed by former Firaxis developers. Bit Reactor was founded by Greg Foertsch, a veteran of the game industry with credits on more than twenty titles. He is best known as the art director of XCOM: Enemy Unknown and XCOM 2. Alongside Foertsch, around two dozen developers who were involved in modern XCOM entries are also working at Bit Reactor.

However, the legendary designer Jake Solomon, who played a major role in the success of the modern XCOM series, is unfortunately not involved in the project. Solomon founded his own company, Midsummer Studios, but it shut down in February 2026 without releasing a single game.

Despite being a new studio, Bit Reactor secured a fairly large budget from EA for the development of Zero Company. The project was greenlit with the support of Respawn Entertainment founder Vince Zampella, who tragically passed away last year.

To ensure an authentic recreation of the Star Wars universe, Bit Reactor also brought in experts from Lucasfilm and other franchise veterans. The game’s writer is Aaron Contreras, who worked on the story of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. The composer is Gordy Haab, known for his work on the Jedi series and Battlefront. Creature design was handled by Terryl Whitlatch, an artist and fauna specialist for Star Wars.

While the developers primarily draw inspiration from the Clone Wars animated series, the narrative of Zero Company is presented in a more grounded tone, influenced by Rogue One and the Andor series — which is a welcome direction. After all, Andor is arguably the best Star Wars project in recent years.

The darker tone works in the game’s favor, especially since Zero Company explores themes of espionage and covert operations. The player’s squad is forced to operate in the shadows, as Hawks secretly works for Republic intelligence. A failed mission ended his public military career: he fell into debt with the Hutts and was forced to return to service — this time as the leader of a covert unit. His mission is to dismantle a mysterious Sith cult connected to the Separatists.

Another key reference point for the developers was Star Wars Rebels. The team aimed to capture a similarly complex dynamic between a group of very different characters — which led to the implementation of a relationship system, where the player acts as a kind of mediator, smoothing over conflicts and maintaining cohesion within the squad.

During missions, the player controls a squad of four operatives. Each fighter has three action points per turn, which are spent on movement and abilities. In addition, there is a shared resource called “advantage,” which accumulates during combat and can be spent on special abilities and powerful ultimate skills. This adds another layer of tactics — players must balance standard actions with team-based abilities.

Zero Company features both story and side missions. Side missions are compact, handcrafted scenarios with objectives such as rescuing hostages or eliminating enemies, where mistakes quickly lead to serious consequences. Story missions, on the other hand, consist of multiple combat encounters connected by exploration segments.

Based on early impressions, enemy design is one of the game’s strengths. Many enemies have unique abilities that force players to think more carefully about their decisions. For example, some opponents buff their allies upon death, which requires careful target prioritization. Overall, the developers are not afraid to present players with challenging situations — a crucial element for games of this type.

After completing a mission, the squad returns to its base, called the Den. Hawks moves around it in third person, once again similar to Mass Effect. Here, players can interact with companions, use various facilities, and even listen to galactic news covering the Clone Wars.

The base offers a wide range of functionality: there is a medbay, a black market for purchasing equipment, and most importantly, a holographic map used to select the next mission. Not all operations lead to combat — some are presented as text-based dilemmas in the style of Pillars of Eternity. These events often involve difficult moral choices that directly affect not only gameplay but also relationships within the squad. Notably, low relationship levels alone will not cause a character to leave, but the developers have confirmed that certain story moments may force companions to abandon the team based on player decisions.

The Den also includes customization and upgrade terminals: characters level up and unlock new abilities, with each class featuring a full skill tree.

Star Wars Zero Company looks like a game that could become a pleasant surprise for a wide audience. It has the potential to appeal to tactics fans hungry for a new XCOM, Star Wars enthusiasts who have long been waiting for a solid Clone Wars-era game, and players who enjoy RPGs focused on companion relationships. A very strong showing for a project from a new studio — even one founded by industry veterans.

Zero Company is set to release this year on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. The exact release date has not yet been announced.

How do you feel about the idea of “XCOM in the Star Wars universe”? Share your thoughts in the comments.