‘Star Wars: Zero Company’ Tactical Strategy Game Screenshots Leak, Official First Look Coming This Month
Images from Respawn Entertainment’s and Bit Reactor’s turn-based tactical strategy Star Wars game have leaked online. Fans won’t have long to wait for an official first look, as its coming later this month during Star Wars Celebration Japan.
Announced back in 2022, the previously untitled Star Wars game was notable due to being developed by Bit Reactor, a studio formed of XCOM series alumni. Development continued even after huge layoffs at EA last year, and we are getting our first official look during Star Wars Celebration Japan.
The convention panels are also being shared on YouTube, so we’ll see the game during the Bit Reactor Developer Panel on April 19th, alongside Respawn Entertainment and Lucasfilm Games — not to mention the inevitable trailer that’ll be shared online.
Except, you can also have a look at the game right now.
MP1ST reports that an unnamed Bit Reactor artist had shared screenshots and concept art from the game on their portfolio. Dated 2023, we see the game was codenamed Star Wars: Bruno, but the game has now been officially titled Star Wars: Zero Company. And gameplay screenshots are similar to that of XCOM. The camera is high above the battlefield as you move characters around. But it switches to over a character’s shoulder when you are deciding what action to take against an enemy they are targeting, along with percentage chance to hit.
Based on one screenshot of a playable Mandalorian (and knowledge of the XCOM games), players have the option to shoot, switch to a secondary firearm, enter overwatch, enter a defensive stance, or throw a Thermal Detonator. Even so, there could be slight differences, and we also see nothing that could indicate guns need reloading.
Other screenshots also show a small flying disc-like droid that the Mandalorian can seemingly control, based on their close proximity in the screenshot, though nothing in their UI would suggest this. Another thing to note in the gameplay screenshots are the player controlling three characters, two Mandalorians and a R2-D2-like droid, fighting against Clonetroopers (or Stormtroopers with a similar-shaped helmet).
This is rather a small squad compared to XCOM, though another screenshot for Star Wars: Zero Company shows a character wielding a green lightsaber. This could be an NPC relevant to the “rescue the prisoner in 10 or less turns” mission, however. In any case, players could also expand the size of their squads in XCOM games, and choose to take less characters if they wish.
Characters and enemies seemingly have up to four “blocks” next to their portraits or names, and a number next to that (potentially being either shields or health). The aforementioned prisoner rescue objective suggests similar missions to those in XCOM. That would include killing all foes on a map, or obtaining an item or NPC then leaving.
Star Wars: Zero Company also doesn’t appear to be grid based, as the path the disc droid is shown to take is more fluid and smooth, along with the field of view for overwatch. Further, overwatch line-of-sight fields appear to mesh together, as per the “combing overwatch” text on screen.
This suggests rather than being two different fields that intersect at some points, a character will be able to react even when an enemy enters another character’s line-of-sight.
Alongside the in-game screenshots, we see some potential pause menus in varying styles, and mock-up art of other menus. One is for the player’s headquarters in the Kafere Mining Colony. Armory, Holotable, Black Market, and Special Ops are all options above various characters’ heads. The characters include a human man, a Togruta woman, and two other aliens — a broad humanoid with white fur and canine-like ears, and a female with horns or branches protruding from her head.
Special Ops are likely your actual missions, while the Armory could allow creation and equipping of gear, and the Black Market to acquire more. The Holotable is a little harder to pin down, though in other Star Wars media typically acting as a tactical map. As such, Holotable may be for missions, while Special Ops are side missions, or other objectives.
The fact players have a headquarters may also suggest base customization in Star Wars: Zero Company, as with XCOM. Prior games did have players digging into rock to make more rooms (taking longer depending on how tough the rocks were), which would fit a mining-colony-turned-base.
This may also suggest players have to defend their base from attacks, much like the Battle of Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back, or Battle of Crait in The Last Jedi.
As the screenshots are dated 2023, we can’t be sure what will change. Logic dictates it’d be too late for major overhauls, but game development rarely runs smoothly. We can only be sure what we’re getting on April 19th.
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