Ahead of its release on PS5, Xbox Series X and PC on August 27, 2026, journalists from GamesRadar+, Polygon, PC Gamer and Eurogamer played preview builds of Star Wars Zero Company, a turn-based tactics game from developer Bit Reactor. The game follows Hawks, a customizable protagonist (options include a Zabrak, Twi'lek or human, according to Eurogamer), who leads a mercenary outfit called Zero Company during the Clone Wars. The crew, described across previews as a rag-tag band of misfits, includes discharged clone trooper Trick, one-armed boxer Kabbney (also referred to as Kabbie), and exiled aristocrat Jae. Financial pressure and debts push the group into covertly working with Republic Intelligence.
Zero Company comes from a studio staffed by former Firaxis developers. Game director Greg Foertsch was previously art director on XCOM 2 and XCOM: Enemy Unknown, while gameplay lead James Brawley worked on Marvel's Midnight Suns. Combat borrows XCOM-style systems such as action points, cover and overwatch, alongside a 'Backup' mechanic that lets an ally fire a free shot when properly positioned. Characters build 'bonds' through missions together that grant passive bonuses, and permadeath is included but can be turned off. Later additions to the squad include a support-focused astromech droid and a Jedi Padawan who controls the battlefield with the Force.
Narrative director Aaron Contreras said the writing team drew on screwball comedy, film noir, mid-century spy fiction and John Le Carré, along with director Howard Hawks' films His Girl Friday and Only Angels Have Wings — an inspiration reflected in the protagonist's name. Foertsch has said he wants the game judged simply as 'a great game' rather than confined to the tactics genre, arguing that 'gamers are more sophisticated now.' The Clone Wars setting was chosen partly because its political tension and divided loyalties suited a story about a team operating in a morally gray space between the front lines and covert operations.
Reactions to the preview builds varied. Eurogamer was highly positive, calling the game 'completely brilliant' and 'XCOM Star Wars' executed 'almost flawlessly,' praising its linear narrative, third-person base exploration, bond and Operations systems, and mission variety. Polygon, after roughly 10 hours, said it might be shaping up as 'the best version of XCOM-style squad-based tactics yet,' praising its characters and combat builds, but criticized excessive side missions, repetitive objectives, and cumbersome base-management menus reminiscent of complaints leveled at Midnight Suns.
GamesRadar+, after a 12-hour preview, called it 'a solid tactics game' but said it lacked the 'playful spark' of XCOM 2 or Baldur's Gate 3, noting that newer unit types like the astromech droid and Jedi didn't feel sufficiently different from blaster-focused characters, and that permadeath felt too soft to force squad rotation. PC Gamer, after 18 in-game cycles, described Zero Company as 'a very safe XCOM descendant,' enjoying moments of tactical payoff and Midnight Suns-inspired elements like pre-mission base conversations, but raised concerns about repetitive combat arenas, a narrow range of enemy types, reduced tension from scripted reinforcements rather than fog of war, and control issues on mouse and keyboard. A separate GamesRadar+ preview covering an earlier build found the combat familiar and not yet matching the ambitious comparisons made by its developers, while still noting some creative touches, such as fielding Jedi and astromech droids in firefights.