Star Wars Zero Company: A New Tactical Chapter in the Clone Wars

Star Wars is heading into unfamiliar territory this August with Zero Company, a single-player, turn-based tactics game set during the twilight of the Clone Wars. Developed by Bit Reactor — a studio founded by veterans of the XCOM series — in collaboration with Respawn Entertainment and Lucasfilm Games, and published by Electronic Arts, Zero Company is shaping up to be one of the more distinctive Star Wars games in years. It launches on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S on August 27, 2026.

A Different Kind of Star Wars Story

Rather than following a Jedi, a bounty hunter, or a rebel pilot, Zero Company puts players in command of Hawks, a former captain in the Grand Army of the Republic who has struck out on his own to lead an unconventional outfit of professionals for hire. Hawks and his ragtag team are recruited for a covert operation against an emerging threat that could consume the galaxy if left unchecked. It’s a war-movie premise filtered through Star Wars iconography: a small, unlikely group of specialists thrown together and forced to trust one another under pressure.

The game leans into moral complexity that’s rare for the franchise. Bit Reactor CEO and Creative Director Greg Foertsch has said the team “poured everything we love about Star Wars into Zero Company,” working closely with Lucasfilm Games to keep the story authentic to the era. Notably, reports indicate a cameo appearance from Anakin Skywalker, tying Zero Company’s mercenary-flavored narrative into the wider Clone Wars timeline audiences already know from the animated series and prequel films.

Command, Customize, and Bond With Your Squad

Hawks is fully customizable — species, gender, appearance, and combat specialization are all in the player’s hands. Around him, the roster is built from two types of squadmates, called “Operators.” Authored Operators are established characters who join the story organically as the campaign unfolds, each with their own personality and arc. Custom Operators, by contrast, are recruits players build and outfit themselves, tailoring loadouts and abilities to fit a preferred playstyle. That mix gives Zero Company the flavor of a curated narrative alongside the flexibility of a squad-builder.

Relationships matter beyond the battlefield. At key moments, the story presents a “Dilemma” — a decision point where each Operator weighs in with their own opinion, but the final call rests with the player. How those dilemmas are resolved can strengthen or strain bonds with individual squad members, giving the story a reactive, character-driven texture reminiscent of BioWare-style party dynamics as much as XCOM’s tactical rigor. It’s this combination that led some previews to describe Zero Company as feeling like “Mass Effect but with turn-based tactics and permadeath.”

Combat: XCOM Roots, Star Wars Flair

Combat unfolds in turn-based skirmishes viewed from a third-person perspective, punctuated by cinematic flourishes that keep battles feeling like Star Wars set pieces rather than abstract grid warfare. Each Operator has a limited pool of action points per turn, governing how far they can move and what they can do — a structure familiar to anyone who’s played XCOM, which makes sense given Bit Reactor’s pedigree.

The stakes are real: Zero Company features permadeath for Operators. Lose a squadmate in battle, and they’re gone for good, forcing players to weigh risk against reward in every engagement. Hawks himself is the sole exception, remaining playable throughout as the story’s anchor. That permadeath system, paired with the relationship-building Dilemmas, means squad losses carry narrative as well as mechanical weight.

According to lead producer Caydence Funk, the main campaign is expected to run 30 to 40 hours for the average player. Unusually for a game with this much character customization, Zero Company is built as a linear, single-playthrough experience with no New Game+ — a design choice that has drawn some discussion but also praise for prioritizing a tightly authored story over replay padding.

Trailers and Release Details

Zero Company was first revealed on April 14, 2025, introducing Hawks and the Clone Wars setting. A more substantial gameplay trailer arrived during Summer Game Fest on June 5, 2026, showing off combat, squad customization, and confirming the August 27 release date. You can watch the official reveal trailer here:

Why It’s Worth Watching

Zero Company arrives at an interesting moment for Star Wars games, which have leaned heavily on action-adventure and shooter formats in recent years. A story-driven tactics game — built by a studio with genuine XCOM pedigree, wrapped in Clone Wars-era lore, and featuring permadeath consequences — is a genuine swing in a new direction. Whether it lands with the tactics crowd, Star Wars loyalists, or both will become clear when it launches across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S on August 27, 2026.