Recently, Lucasfilm confirmed that the upcoming Star Wars Celebration, a major event for the franchise set to take place next month, will feature the first look at a new Star Wars turn-based tactics game. This game was first revealed in early 2022 and is the result of a collaboration between Respawn Entertainment and Bit Reactor, a studio founded by veterans of the XCOM franchise.
According to the Star Wars website, the game will be unveiled during a one-hour panel at the event on April 19th, so it’s only a matter of weeks before we know the first details of the game. But if that’s still a long time for you to wait, then you’re in luck, as we’ve just found some previously never-seen pictures offering a sneak peek into the game’s gameplay and UI.
Players take on the role of Hawks, a former Republic officer who commands an elite squad of operatives from across the galaxy, who must set aside their differences to take on an emerging threat that will consume the galaxy if left unchecked.
“In Star Wars Zero Company, players will embark on a campaign of tactical operations and investigations across the galaxy,” reads the game’s synopsis. “Between missions, they will develop a base of operations and gather intelligence through a network of informants to stay one step ahead of Zero Company’s adversaries.
“Players will have the freedom to create and customize their own squad of recruited operators while getting to know a cast of newly authored Star Wars characters.”
According to EA, Hawks’ appearance and combat class can be fully customized, while recruited operatives can be personalized from a range of original Star Wars character classes and species.
“Tailor squadmates’ appearances, load-outs, and abilities across a wide variety of character archetypes, including Clone Troopers, astromechs and even a Jedi,” it says. “While in the field, members of Zero Company will forge bonds between them to unlock powerful combat synergies that can turn the tide of battle.”
Greg Foertsch, CEO and Creative Director at Bit Reactor, said in a statement: “Our vision for Star Wars Zero Company is grounded in gameplay design pillars that weave in the immersive Star Wars galaxy with engaging turn-based tactics gameplay.
“It’s our aim to deliver a game with an original Star Wars story from the Clone Wars era that has meaningful outcomes from player choices, and deep turn-based tactical combat with an approachable and cinematic presentation.”
Douglas Reilly, GM & VP, Lucasfilm Games, added: “At Lucasfilm Games, we’re huge tactics fans and we have wanted to make a game like this for a long time. The best tactics games are all about meaningful choices, and we’re confident we have chosen the right squad in Bit Reactor to deliver a compelling and innovative title that is authentic to Star Wars.”
