Bit Reactor, the developer of Star Wars Zero Company, has begun recalling staff after furloughing more than 80 percent of its workforce last month, with sources familiar with the situation estimating the returning headcount at over half of pre-furlough staffing.

CEO Greg Foertsch disclosed the move on social media Tuesday. "This week, we started the process of returning more of our team back to work at Bit Reactor, an important step forward in our continued support for Zero Company," he said in the statement.

What does the recall actually cover?

Game File, which first reported the prior furloughs and later confirmed the partial reversal, cited sources estimating that the returning employees represent "more than half" of the studio's pre-furlough headcount. A fair number of suspended employees have not yet been brought back, leaving Bit Reactor operating with a smaller active team than before the cuts.

The studio retained a skeleton crew through the furlough period to keep the project alive. Bit Reactor has not disclosed the current active employee count, and US Department of Labor rules do not require companies to reveal furlough numbers until those workers cross into formal layoffs.

Why were 80 percent of staff cut in the first place?

The September cuts landed during a broader wave of reductions across the games industry, though Bit Reactor has not publicly identified a specific trigger. The studio is operating in a labour grey zone: furloughs in the United States fall outside the disclosure thresholds that govern mass layoffs under the WARN Act, leaving affected workers without the same notification windows.

Bit Reactor, founded by veterans of Firaxis Games, has framed the cuts as a temporary measure intended to preserve the studio and the Zero Company project.

Will furloughed workers share in Zero Company's commercial success?

Neither Foertsch's statement nor the original reporting addresses profit participation for employees who were suspended without pay. A former Bit Reactor employee raised the concern publicly on LinkedIn, asking whether the studio's contract structure entitles staff to revenue tied to the game's launch.

The question matters because furloughed game developers in the US typically forfeit compensation tied to deferred earnings, performance bonuses or back-end participation during the unpaid interval, depending on individual employment terms. Where profit-sharing entitlements exist, they usually hinge on whether the worker is active on the day a title ships or hits a sales milestone.

Bit Reactor has not responded to questions on the topic.

What to watch next?

The studio's next public checkpoint will be any update to its production posture, whether that means additional recalls, a formal layoff notice that would force Department of Labor disclosure, or a release-date announcement for Zero Company. Watch the studio's social channels for the next signal on either path.