With Star Wars Zero Company, developers Bit Reactor and Remedy Entertainment have said that they want to recapture the wartime feeling of the Star Wars universe that we have previously seen in Star Wars spin-off projects and side stories like the movie Rogue One and the Clone Wars animated series. In an interview with GameSpot, creative director Greg Foertsch spoke about zooming in on some of the grittier aspects of the setting.
Bringing up The Clone Wars in particular, Foertsch spoke about how we got to see a war in Star Wars from a different perspective than what we usually get. While it had all of the Star Wars trappings one would expect, The Clone Wars also had an emphasis on regular soldiers at times, using the focus to tell new and interesting stories.
“The Clone Wars offers us a lot of the tools we need mechanically for the game, which is great,” explained Foertsch. “But it’s also interesting, we haven’t seen that kind of zoom level in the Clone Wars, and so it’s a pretty unique spot to land that also offered a lot of great options for us from a game design perspective, to tell a really great story with some great mechanics added to it. That really opened the door for us to do a lot of things.”
Creative executive Kelsey Sharpe also spoke about how the nature of the story in Clone Wars allowed the show to explore optimistic themes while sticking to its grounded atmosphere. Rogue One was also brought up in that regard, owing to its gritty atmosphere revolving around a small group of non-Jedi characters on a pivotal mission.
“Even if you have a more grounded tone and you’re getting into the shades of gray of the Clone Wars era, there’s always hope,” said Sharpe. “There’s always the bonds between your allies, there’s always the mythmaking. And that’s what Star Wars is. That’s how we keep things feeling consistent across all the stories we tell.”
Star Wars Zero Company was officially confirmed earlier this month. The game got a full reveal during the recent Star Wars Celebration event, where it was also announced that the game would be coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S some time in 2026. The title also got a trailer that showcased its themes and a bit of gameplay.
In Star Wars Zero Company, players take on the leadership of the titular Zero Company as they take on missions during the twilight of the Clone Wars. The title will feature turn-based tactical gameplay like we’ve previously seen in games like XCOM 2. During the course of a mission, players will be able to order their soldiers to take cover, setup Overwath, and even use tools like grenades to change the tides of battle.
Bit Reactor and Respawn have also confirmed that Star Wars Zero Company will offer plenty of chances for players to customise their squads in various ways. Players will also be able to check out their crew as they hang out in The Den, where more soldiers can be recruited to fill out the ranks.
