Star Wars Zero Company was originally pitched as a game in the Titanfall universe.

As part of a larger report on Star Wars Zero Company, Game File’s Stephen Totilo uncovered a lot of interesting details about the game’s development. The big headline was that the bulk of the studio was furloughed just weeks before launch as Bit Reactor ran out of money, but there’s hope that those employees will be brought back following the game’s success. However, there is one other bit that caught some eyes: Zero Company wasn’t initially imagined as a Star Wars game.

Game File dug up legal documents pertaining to a lawsuit between Bit Reactor leadership which paints a picture of Zero Company’s development. Director Greg Foertsch worked with studio co-founder Alison Kelly to develop pitches for a tactics game, which eventually landed a meeting with Respawn Entertainment co-founder Vince Zampella. The late gaming executive asked Foertsch to make a pitch based on Respawn’s own IP, which would’ve meant the game would be connected to the Titanfall universe.

Game File notes the pitch was directly linked to Apex Legends, which is set in the Titanfall universe, but it’s unclear if the signature mechs would’ve returned or if it would’ve been rooted in the hero characters from Apex Legends, similar to the upcoming Rainbow Six Tactics game. Zampella ultimately rejected the pitch for the Titanfall universe tactics game and instead told the team to try again, this time with the Star Wars IP, which Respawn has a heavy hand in.

Respawn are the creators of the Star Wars Jedi games and also worked on a scrapped FPS Star Wars game, so it’s no surprise that they’d be interested in expanding that IP with other genres. And as fate would have it, Star Wars Zero Company was born. The game has been one of the biggest surprises of 2026, garnering rave reviews and an impressive concurrent player count on Steam. Over the weekend, the game peaked at 77,889 on Steam and has had strong word of mouth across social media.

Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.