Star Wars Zero Company is already getting the obvious shorthand treatment as “Star Wars XCOM,” but the latest comments from director Greg Foertsch suggest Bit Reactor is aiming at something broader than just solid turn-based combat. In a new PC Gamer interview, Foertsch said he has “an axe to grind” with the idea that tactics fans should accept thin stories, rough presentation, or clunky controls as the price of depth. His pitch is simple: strategy games can be smart, stylish, and emotionally engaging at the same time. That matters because Zero Company is not being sold as a dry systems-first war game with a Star Wars coat of paint. Officially, EA describes it as a single-player turn-based tactics game set in the twilight of the Clone Wars, with players stepping into the role of Hawks, a former Republic officer leading an elite squad of mercenaries from across the galaxy. It…
Greg Foertsch
Star Wars Zero Company Director Thinks Old-School PC Genres Are Back Because Consoles Couldn’t Carry Them Properly
One of the more interesting things coming out of the Star Wars Zero Company press cycle is not just what the game is, but what Bit Reactor thinks it says about the wider industry. In a new PC Gamer interview, creative director Greg Foertsch argued that a lot of classic PC-first genres went quiet for years because the industry got “enamored with consoles” in the 2000s, while certain types of games simply did not make that transition well. That is a pretty sharp way of explaining why genres like turn-based tactics, CRPGs, RTS, and grand strategy suddenly feel alive again. Officially, Zero Company itself is a single-player turn-based tactics game set in the Clone Wars, with players leading Hawks and an unconventional squad across tactical operations and investigations. The Key Idea Is Not Just “PC Genres Came Back” Foertsch’s actual point is more specific than simple nostalgia. He told PC…