All the way back in January 2022, it was announced that new studio Bit Reactor was in the process of developing a Star Wars strategy game, and that Respawn Entertainment would assist the studio with publishing. There have been a handful of beloved Star Wars strategy games over the last few decades, most of which have been real-time strategy titles like Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds and Star Wars: Empire at War. Many fans hoped Bit Reactor’s project would follow in those games’ footsteps.
It’s just been confirmed that Bit Reactor’s project is a “new Star Wars turn-based tactics game,” and that it’ll be officially revealed on April 19 during Star Wars Celebration 2025. While it might not be the large-scale RTS experience some fans were hoping for, a turn-based tactics formula makes a lot of sense for the Star Wars universe, and makes even more sense given the studio’s history.
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XCOM’s Formula Would Fit Star Wars Perfectly
Though it’s evolved a great deal since its 1994 debut, XCOM‘s general gameplay formula has remained largely the same. Players bring together a squad of customized Sci-Fi XCOM soldiers and control them through a series of tactical missions that range from escorting a VIP out of harm’s way, to liberating POWs from alien clutches, to destroying vital pieces of xeno tech.
It doesn’t take much to imagine a Star Wars game with a similar formula. A Star Wars turn-based tactics game could see players control a squad of Clone Commandos sent behind Separatist lines, or a group of Rebel Alliance soldiers attempting to strike back at their Imperial oppressors. XCOM‘s gameplay mechanics would suit these premises perfectly as well, letting players carefully guide each unit to cover, take a few shots at approaching Battle Droids or Stormtroopers, and use a variety of special abilities themed around the source material.
Borrowing from XCOM would also make a lot of sense given Bit Reactor’s history. Bit Reactor was founded by former Firaxis art director, Greg Foertsch, who was quickly joined by a host of other former Firaxis developers. Many of these devs worked on both Civilization and XCOM, so it’d only be natural for the team’s upcoming Star Wars game to take after those past turn-based titles.
Bit Reactor’s Star Wars Tactics Game Should Still Chart Its Own Course
But while XCOM‘s formula would form a very strong foundation for a Star Wars turn-based tactics game, Bit Reactor is not Firaxis, and the studio will likely want to leave its own distinct mark on the turn-based strategy genre. In a December 2024 blog post on its own website titled “Bit Reactor is Known for More Than XCOM,” the studio talks about its unique approach to hiring developers.
Bit Reactor states that while most video game developers try to hire those with experience in the studio’s preferred genre, Bit Reactor has gone out of its way to do the opposite. Bit Reactor tries to hire developers who have worked on a wide range of genres that aren’t strategy-related. Bit Reactor’s reasoning for this is that “We want not only to make a great game but one that appeals to players across genres.” Based on this, it seems likely that Bit Reactor’s Star Wars game will strive for a unique identity in the gaming space.
