Bit Reactor and Respawn Entertainment have officially pulled back the curtain on Star Wars: Zero Company at Summer Game Fest 2026, confirming a release date of August 27 for the turn-based strategy title across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. While the release date had leaked online ahead of the event, the developers held back one reveal that no leak had anticipated: Anakin Skywalker will appear in the game.
The confirmation of Anakin Skywalker’s inclusion immediately elevated the announcement from anticipated to unmissable for fans of the franchise. The game is set during the Clone Wars era, which means players will encounter a version of Anakin that predates his fall to the dark side, presenting developers with a version of the character that carries tremendous narrative weight without the constraints of his later arc. Bit Reactor has not disclosed the specifics of Anakin’s role within the main campaign, and has given no indication of whether his involvement will be central to the plot or structured as a supporting element, leaving that as one of the more compelling open questions heading into the August launch.
On the gameplay side, Star Wars: Zero Company draws heavily from the DNA of the XCOM series, a connection that makes immediate sense given that Bit Reactor is largely composed of developers who previously worked on XCOM at Firaxis. Players build and customise their own squads, modify weapons, deploy Force Powers in combat, and can field droids as part of their lineup. The game also incorporates permadeath, meaning individual unit losses carry real consequences across a campaign, which brings the same tension and attachment that made the XCOM format so compelling to its dedicated audience. The combination of that structural framework with the Star Wars setting gives the title a strong identity in a genre that has not seen a major new release in some time.
Star Wars: Zero Company was not the only Star Wars gaming announcement at Summer Game Fest 2026. Fuse Games and Secret Mode revealed Star Wars: Galactic Racer, a fast-paced racing title set in the same universe that will launch on October 6 across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. Taken together, the two announcements give Star Wars gaming a notably active second half of 2026, spanning two very different genres and targeting audiences that may have limited overlap.
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