Star Wars has given us Jedi action games, scoundrel adventures, and multiplayer shooters. What it has never really tried is turn-based strategy. That changes on August 27, when Star Wars Zero Company arrives on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC as a single-player tactics game with unmistakable XCOM DNA.
Built by the right people
That XCOM resemblance is no accident. Zero Company is developed by Bit Reactor, a studio founded by veterans of Firaxis Games, the team behind the modern XCOM and Civilization series, in collaboration with Star Wars Jedi developer Respawn Entertainment. It is published by Electronic Arts and Lucasfilm Games. In other words, this is turn-based tactics made by people who have spent careers perfecting the genre, now pointed at a galaxy far, far away.
A ragtag squad in a shadow war
Set during the twilight of the Clone Wars, the game casts players as Hawks, a disgraced former Republic officer tasked with assembling and leading a unit of misfits called Zero Company. The roster is a proper Star Wars grab bag, reportedly including clones, scoundrels, droids, a Mandalorian, and even a Jedi. The gameplay reveal at Summer Game Fest showed off customizable operatives, base management between missions, and an intelligence system that lets you deploy informants to gather enemy intel before a fight. A standout mechanic ties squad performance to relationships: the stronger the bonds between teammates, the more powerful combat synergies you unlock. Anakin Skywalker also turns up, confirming that familiar faces will thread through the original story.
Smart timing
The late-August launch is no accident either. With a wave of games crowding into September and Grand Theft Auto VI looming over November, Zero Company is carving out a quieter window to make its case. For strategy fans starved of big-budget tactics games, and for Star Wars fans looking for something other than lightsaber duels, it may be one of the more distinctive releases of the year.
