Star Wars Zero Company developer Bit Reactor is actively “returning more of our team back to work” after furloughing staff right before launch due to apparent budget issues.

In a post on Bluesky, Bit Reactor CEO Greg Foertsch confirms the great de-furloughing began this week, which it calls “an important step in our continued support for Zero Company.”

The statement confirms much of what was reported around the launch. “Having to ask team members to step away after we navigated unexpected business developments out of our control and so close to launch was an incredibly difficult decision, but one that was necessary to help us eventually bring as many people back as possible,” Foertsch continues.

It’s unclear how many, if any, developers may be laid off at the end of this return process. Whereas layoffs result in immediate job cuts, a furlough is essentially a period of unpaid absence or reduced hours which is generally enacted to lower costs and overhead during a period of some kind of financial hardship.

“This team means a tremendous amount to me, and I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished together,” Foertsch adds. “Thank you to our fans for the incredible response to the game and for supporting us along this journey. We look forward to sharing more updates regarding Bit Reactor and Zero Company soon.”

Star Wars Zero Company saw some of the strongest reviews of any Star Wars game in recent years. We called it a solid strategy RPG after getting our feet wet, and it’s sitting comfortably at a score of 84 on Metacritic. On Steam, Zero Company has “very positive” reviews. It was an utter shame to see the team behind it struggling even after shipping a great game, and it’s good to see them getting back on their feet.

I’ve learned to love Star Wars Zero Company’s permadeath – by letting the new hires die.