Star Citizen breaks a $350 million revenue milestone without an official release date, continuing to impress players while still in development.
It still doesn’t have a release date 11 years in, but Star Citizen has broken a jaw-dropping $350 million revenue milestone in its never-ending crowdfunding campaign. Star Citizen and Squadron 42, a spaceflight sim and first-person shooter, respectively, Star Citizen is the most expensive game ever made, and it generates the lion’s share of its revenue from crowdfunding, selling starter packs and in-game items like a $600 ship. While players who back Star Citizen are given access to its Alpha stage, they don’t technically have the full game and there is no confirmation on when they will.
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Star Citizen backers have been waiting for the game to encompass their every sci-fi dream for some time. Starships, space combat, and immersive first-person action are only some of the features Star Citizen boasts, but since its development isn’t complete, there’s little telling what will be in the final game or if it will ever release. The game has been in development for over a decade, having surpassed incredible milestones. In December 2019, the game had reached a $250 million funding milestone, and in 2020 it surpassed $300 million. Despite a global pandemic, the game has continued to excite donors and racked in more and more funding, with the previous records paling in comparison to its latest crowdfunding milestone.
The funding stats page of Roberts Space Industries (the official website of Star Citizen and developer Cloud Imperium Games) boasts over $350 million in crowdfunding from over 3 million players, or “Star Citizens.” The continuous stream of funding is most likely due to its huge 2020 fundraising figures, having made $16.9 million in November of that year alone.
November 2020’s high-dollar month was due in large part to the Cloud Imperium’s annual Intergalactic Aerospace Expo, which allowed players to jump into the game and its roster of more than 100 ships for 48 hours at no cost. Cloud Imperium also opened the game for free for short periods of time, bringing new players (and donations) into the fold. The perpetually developed game’s continued success comes despite its crowdfunding stretch goals having ended when the funding reached $65 million.
Having began pre-production all the way back before the launch of the PS4 and Xbox One, many have lost confidence in Star Citizen, Cloud Imperium, and their reported mistreatment of development staff. Some fans even fear that the game will never get an official release. Even if Star Citizen does end up coming out, it may not live up to the hype. Games that accrue hype over a long development often disappoint, such as the notorious launches of No Man Sky or Cyberpunk 2077. Cloud Imperium continuously promises to achieve what they originally sought and its vision still impresses plenty of crowdfunders, but it’s hard to imagine that Star Citizen can ever live up to its $350 million potential.
Source: Roberts Space Industries
