Star Citizen

Did You Know?

• A grey market for limited-run ships arose from Star Citizen's funding practices, with middlemen processing transactions between players.
• At CitizenCon 2024, first gameplay of Squadron 42 was shown and a 2026 release was suggested.

Gameplay

Star Citizen combines space simulator, first-person shooter, and massively multiplayer online genres across four playable modes called modules. The Hangar Module lets players explore or modify purchased ships and interact with ship systems, though flying is not available; it was disabled as of Alpha patch 3.13.1a due to ongoing issues. Arena Commander is an in-fiction space combat simulator with game types including Free Flight, Vanduul Swarm (up to four players against AI), Capture the Core (a capture-the-flag variant), racing, Battle Royale, Team, and Pirate Swarm. G-force effects on the pilot can cause blackouts from substantial g-forces. Equipment for ships can be rented. A multi-crew component announced in 2015 has not been implemented. Star Marine is an in-fiction ground combat simulator with two maps and two game types: Elimination and Last Stand.

Development

Cloud Imperium Games was founded in 2012 by Chris Roberts, Sandi Roberts, and Ortwin Freyermuth. Roberts previously worked at Origin Systems on the Wing Commander franchise and later at Digital Anvil on Starlancer and Freelancer; Star Citizen is a spiritual successor to both Wing Commander and Freelancer. Pre-production began in 2010, production in 2011 using CryEngine 3. Contractors including CGBot, Rmory, VoidAlpha, and Behaviour Interactive built an early prototype. After the Double Fine Adventure Kickstarter success, Roberts chose to crowdfund. The game was officially announced at GDC on October 10, 2012, and a Kickstarter campaign launched on October 18, 2012. Development uses a heavily modified version of Amazon Lumberyard called StarEngine, switched from CryEngine 3 in December 2016 for its online services and cloud integration.

Reception

In a 2016 Polygon opinion article, Charlie Hall compared Star Citizen to No Man's Sky and Elite: Dangerous, describing it as a hope wrapped inside a dream buried inside controversy. PC Gamer writer Luke Winkie noted that fans disappointed in No Man's Sky were turning to the unfinished Star Citizen while expressing concerns about its delivery. The developers have drawn criticism for continuing to raise funds while missing deadlines, and doubts exist about technical feasibility and the ability to finish the game. In 2015, The Escapist published controversial articles citing sources claiming the project was in trouble; after Roberts' response, Cloud Imperium Games threatened legal action, which never materialized. The matter was settled out of court in 2017. Kotaku UK wrote a five-part series on controversies in 2016. Star Citizen received Wired's 2016 Vaporware Award and Massively OP's 'Most Likely to Flop' award for 2016 and 2017. Rock Paper Shotgun reviewed Alpha 2.0, noting little to do but an appealing environment. Sound & Vision reviewed Alpha 2.6 and considered the $35 entry worthwhile.

Legal issues

As early as 2015, some backers began requesting refunds from Cloud Imperium Games. An internal survey indicated as many as 25 percent of backers were interested in a refund process. Initially refunds were handled case-by-case. On June 10, 2016, the terms of service were amended to remove a passage allowing refunds if the game was not released within 18 months of its estimated delivery date; the revision limited refunds to cases where the project was abandoned. Exceptions covered backers who spent money before the change, retaining the 18-month clause. A backer filed a complaint with the Los Angeles County District Attorney and the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs after a refund was denied following the terms change, citing postponed virtual reality support. The DCBA investigator arranged a US$2,550 refund because the backer had not downloaded the game client. In September 2017, a hoax about a US$45,000 refund was reported by Ars Technica and later retracted. In December 2017, a backer spent nearly three months seeking a US$24,000 refund and initiated a small claims court case; another backer sought a US$16,700 refund. The first case was forwarded to the Better Business Bureau.