Star Wars Zero Company to receive first patch next week after staff furloughs

Key points

• EA Star Wars announced on the Discord server that the first patch for Star Wars Zero Company is scheduled for release next week.
• The update will address general bugs and performance issues, with specific attention to crashes linked to NVIDIA GPUs and Intel 13th/14th Gen processors.
• A known bug where a 100% chance-to-hit is incorrectly recalculated to a lower value is being investigated by the development team.
• Bit Reactor furloughed roughly 80% of its staff prior to the game's launch, leaving a small team to manage post-launch support.
• The game currently holds an 85 Metacritic score but faces widespread player complaints regarding stuttering and crashes on PC and consoles.

Background

Star Wars Zero Company launched on August 27, 2026, developed by Bit Reactor and published by EA. The game is a turn-based tactics title set during the Clone Wars era, featuring a mercenary group called the Zero Company. It received strong critical acclaim with an 85 Metacritic score but faced immediate technical issues. Prior to launch, Bit Reactor furloughed the majority of its staff due to financial strain and a legal dispute between co-founders, raising concerns about long-term support. The game is built on Unreal Engine 5 and supports various upscaling technologies, including DLSS, FSR, and XeSS.

How outlets are covering it

Bespin Bulletin reports that EA Star Wars has confirmed the first patch is coming next week, focusing on bug fixes and performance improvements. Engadget highlights the contrast between the game's high critical score and its poor technical state, noting that the furloughed staff and ongoing legal disputes create uncertainty about future support. TechPowerUp provides a performance review for handheld devices, confirming the game uses Unreal Engine 5 features like Nanite and Lumen. The Direct focuses on the narrative aspect of the game, specifically its depiction of Order 66, rather than the technical issues. While Bespin Bulletin emphasizes the imminent patch, Engadget expresses skepticism about the long-term viability of fixes given the studio's reduced staffing and financial struggles.

Why it matters

The upcoming patch is crucial for stabilizing Star Wars Zero Company, which has faced significant player dissatisfaction due to crashes and performance issues despite strong critical reviews. The ability of Bit Reactor to effectively address these problems with a skeleton crew will determine the game's long-term reputation and sales performance. Additionally, the patch may influence whether furloughed employees are reinstated, as the studio has linked their return to the game's commercial success.

What to watch

The first patch for Star Wars Zero Company is expected to be released next week, with detailed patch notes to follow. The update will address bugs, performance issues, and specific hardware-related crashes. Players are advised to update their NVIDIA drivers and Intel BIOS to mitigate some issues until the patch is released. The long-term future of the game's support depends on its sales performance and the resolution of Bit Reactor's internal legal disputes.