A month before its release, Bit Reactor, Respawn Entertainment, and Lucasfilm Games shared new details about the tactical strategy game Star Wars: Zero Company. The developers explained the permadeath mechanic, confirmed the campaign’s 30-40 hour length, and revealed what the game will not feature: romance, microtransactions, and New Game+. The game will be released on August 27th on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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What is known about the plot of Star Wars: Zero Company?
Star Wars: Zero Company is set during the Clone Wars—the same period familiar to fans of the saga from the prequel films and animated series. The protagonist is a former Republic officer named Hawks, who, after losing the trust of his superiors, leads a mercenary squad called Zero Company. Their mission is to neutralize a threat that could engulf the entire galaxy. The squad consists of soldiers from across the galaxy: clones, Mandalorians from the ancient Verminoth clan, Jedi Padawans, and even astromechs. Players can have up to 20 operators at their disposal, though a maximum of seven are available at launch. Up to four soldiers can be brought into each mission, and this number will remain the same at release.
Who is in Zero Company?
The key characters in the squad are Hawkes (the protagonist), as well as Klay, Luco, Trick, and Tel-Rea. Each has unique skills and personalities. The developers are openly inspired by the XCOM and Marvel’s Midnight Suns series, but emphasize their goal is to create a game with its own identity. According to director Greg Foerch, a strategy game does not have to choose between excellent gameplay and high-quality storytelling.
Permadeath Mode – How It Works
The main feature of Star Wars: Zero Company is the optional permadeath mode. It is enabled by default, but can be disabled in the settings. The developers, however, strongly recommend playing the game with it enabled, as it makes the campaign truly emotional.
There is an important nuance here. Characters do not die instantly upon the first hit. Instead, a system comparable to baseball rules applies: three strikes and you are out.
Three-Wound System
The mechanics work like this: when a soldier’s health drops to zero for the first or second time, they do not die. Instead, they receive a combat wound and remain in action. However, if their health drops to zero for the third time, permadeath occurs. The soldier is forever removed from the game.
“The first two times a character’s health drops to zero, it doesn’t result in their death, but is recorded as a permanent combat wound.” However, if a character’s health drops to zero for the third time in combat, permanent death occurs and the character is permanently removed from the game.”
Who can die permanently and who cannot?
Almost all squad members can perish permanently. There are a few exceptions:
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Hawkes is the main character. His death triggers a mission reset. He is required to participate in all story-driven combat missions.
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Tutorial missions – in these, characters do not die, allowing the player to familiarize themselves with the mechanics.
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The rest of the squad is at risk. Even key characters can be permanently eliminated from the story if you make a mistake.
How character deaths affect the plot?
This is the most interesting aspect. The plot of Star Wars: Zero Company takes character loss into account. If a squad member dies, the story adapts – you will not see them in subsequent scenes, and dialogue and available missions may change.
In the squad base, players will be able to develop relationships between characters, who will not always get along. Moreover, characters with negative relationships may even quarrel during combat, leading to additional dialogue and unique situations on the battlefield. Decisions made on the galaxy map change available missions, relationships between squad members, and the situation in the regions. You will not be able to experience all the events in a single playthrough—the developers are focusing on high replayability.
At the same time, the developers emphasize that the story remains linear. There are no alternative endings or branching storylines. Variety is provided by who survives to the end, not by multiple forks.
How long will it take to complete?
According to lead producer Cadence Funk, completing the story campaign will take most players approximately 30-40 hours. Much depends on the chosen difficulty level and experience in the strategy genre.
Important: There will be no New Game+ mode at launch. If you want to replay the campaign with different soldiers or try new tactics, you will have to start over. But the developers promise that the game’s high replayability will compensate for this.
Difficulty Levels and Accessibility for Beginners
The studio strives to make the game accessible to genre newcomers while still challenging XCOM veterans. Players will find several difficulty levels:
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Story Mode – focused on the story, combat is forgiving.
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Standard Mode – a balanced challenge.
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Hardcore Expert mode – every action can have serious consequences.
The developers have repeatedly emphasized that Star Wars: Zero Company is not limited to tactical mechanics alone. The game will feature a comprehensive story, a cinematic setting, and numerous choices that influence the gameplay.
What Will Not Be in the Game?
The developers at Bit Reactor held a Q&A session and clearly outlined the boundaries of their game. Here is what Star Wars: Zero Company definitely will not have:
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Romance – no romantic relationships between squad members.
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Branching Plot – the story is linear, with one ending.
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Microtransactions – the studio has no plans to add in-game purchases.
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Official mod support – mods are not supported at release.
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New Game+ mode – after the finale, you will have to start from scratch.
“There are no romances, only one ending, and no New Game+ mode.”
Most cutscenes are rendered in real time, so they display the fighters’ current equipment – a nice touch for those who enjoy customization.
Who is developing the game?
Star Wars: Zero Company is being developed by a team with an impressive track record:
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Bit Reactor — Lead Developer. The studio was founded by XCOM and Civilization veterans.
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Respawn Entertainment — Co-Developer, known for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Survivor.
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Lucasfilm Games — Overseeing the game’s consistency with the Star Wars universe.
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Publisher — Electronic Arts.
The game’s director is Greg Foerch, co-founder of Bit Reactor. The story director is Aaron Contreras, who previously worked on Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Survivor.
A Story of a Lost Argument
Contreras was initially against permadeath, and lost the argument to his colleagues about 13 months ago. He later admitted that the decision made sense.
“Star Wars is about loss. It was the right decision for the game.”
He explained that there was some debate within the studio about how much we wanted to limit the impact of character loss. Ultimately, the team settled on a three-injury system—a compromise that maintains tension without making every injury devastating.
Release Date, Platforms, and Price
Star Wars: Zero Company will be released on August 27, 2026. The game is available for pre-order on the following platforms:
The Deluxe Edition will cost $60 on PC and $70 on consoles. The Collector’s Edition costs $300.
Important for Russian-speaking players: according to available information, the game will not be localized in Russian—only English with subtitles.
What to remember: Star Wars: Zero Company is a tactical strategy game from XCOM veterans featuring permadeath by default, a three-injury system, 30-40 hours of gameplay, and no romance options or microtransactions. It releases on August 27th on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. For the most emotional experience, keep permadeath enabled. And remember: in this game, every decision truly matters.
