Culture news and discussion on TalkFuse.
EA’s New ‘Star Wars’ Game Was Inspired by an AMC Revolutionary War TV Series and a Love for Turn-Based Tactics
EA and Bit Reactor are launching “Star Wars Zero Company”, a single-player turn-based tactics game set during the Clone Wars. Its developers say it differs from previous Star Wars games by centring on original, customisable characters rather than established heroes, allowing players to form their own attachment to the squad while remaining within official canon.
Due for release on 27 August for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, the game casts players as former Republic officer Hawks, with selectable masculine or feminine voice options. Hawks leads a mixed team including a Clone Trooper, Mandalorian and Jedi Padawan against Kundri Fathom, leader of the Separatist-aligned Infinite Coil cult; its narrative was partly inspired by AMC’s “Turn”, which placed lesser-known characters alongside major historical events.
In short
- EA’s new Star Wars tactics game launches on 27 August.
- Players command a customisable original character and squad.
- The Clone Wars story draws inspiration from AMC’s “Turn”.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters argue that focusing on original, customisable characters is a thoughtful way to broaden Star Wars storytelling without contradicting canon. A turn-based tactics format can make squad composition, planning and individual losses feel meaningful, while placing a new team around familiar Clone Wars events offers both creative freedom and a recognisable setting.
The case against
Sceptics may argue that Star Wars’ strongest appeal often lies in its distinctive established characters and cinematic immediacy, which a player-created squad and slower tactical gameplay may not fully provide. They may also question whether adding new protagonists around major canonical events risks feeling peripheral or constrained, rather than delivering the direct, consequential adventure fans expect.
Explained simply
The Clone Wars are a fictional conflict in the Star Wars universe, fought between the Galactic Republic and the Separatists, who want to break away from it. The war features in films and television, but stories set during it can also follow characters who are not central to those better-known accounts.
Turn-based tactics games let players take turns moving characters and choosing their actions, often with attention to their positions and abilities. Star Wars games have often focused on established figures from the films; this one instead follows a squad led by Hawks, a former Republic officer, alongside characters from different groups in the galaxy.
The story draws partly on Turn, a television drama about lesser-known people caught up in the American Revolutionary War. That approach places original characters within events in Star Wars canon, the official continuity of the franchise.
Art Business Celebrity Companies Culture Entertainment Film Gaming TV