There are some things in gaming that feel like they happen on another planet, so difficult are they to comprehend. Most of the time, I stay out of these matters. I have no idea who the millions of people are that watch other people play video games on Twitch (and send them money), especially when half the time they’re not even playing video games but sleeping on camera while a guy dressed as Miles Morales insults and entertains the remaining viewers. Another one of these things is Star Citizen.
Announced in 2012, Star Citizen set up a crowdfunding page with the aim of launching by 2014. Fast forward to 2024, there’s still no launch date in sight. With just those figures in front of you, you’d think the crowdfunding was therefore unsuccessful. Here’s another figure – the crowdfunding (which is still active, moving from Kickstarter to the official website) recently passed $750 million. For context, upper estimates for Red Dead Redemption 2’s budget place it at $540 million including marketing.
This is another sphere of gaming I don’t understand. Who is still donating money to this thing, and why? Is it hope or expectation, or some yet to be discovered emotion? Star Citizen’s pitch is essentially ‘a No Man’s Sky-like’, and there was an appeal in that when No Man’s Sky burned up at launch. But the ship has since righted itself to become a huge success, while Star Citizen is stuck in the hangar. The news was so fascinating I had to do some digging.
Why Is Star Citizen Not Out Yet?
The answer to the question is as vague as it is crystal clear – the game is not ready. But why, after 12 years and enough money to make two, ten, 20, or 100 video games of varying sizes, is the rocket ship still being built instead of soaring through the stars?
Technically, you can play it. The game is available in Alpha, and is currently free until December 5, when it will return to its regular price of $45, with a variety of more expensive starter packs available. The community unilaterally suggests ignoring these starter packs in favour of upgrading your basic ship via playing the game. This goes some way to explaining the consistent rise in ‘donations’ – it’s actually people buying the Alpha and various add-ons contributing to this mammoth number, although regular donations are still being taken.
The end, apparently, is also eventually in sight. Head of developer Cloud Imperium Games, Chris Roberts, said in May that the game was so close to being done that “it is no longer Alpha or Early Access,” even though it clearly retains the Alpha label and is not a full release. After 12 years, you’d expect it would be close, but is that 2025, or 2030? No clarity is likely to be offered until a firm release date arrives, and none appears to be forthcoming either.
Will Star Citizen Live Up To The Hype?
Another question I consider to have both an easy and impossible answer is whether or not the game will live up to the hype. That’s a very personal question, and it will depend on a lot of factors – thousands of people have invested as much, possibly more, into the game via emotional collateral rather than cold hard cash. Star Citizen will be under a lot of pressure to repay that faith.
However, it would be fair to say that for outsiders, it will not. If you have not been engaged with the Alpha and development cycle, it’s highly unlikely you will play Star Citizen and think ‘yes, I can see where that $750 million has gone’. Another comparison would put Star Citizen at three and a half The Last of Us Part 2s, which clocked in at $220 million. It’s hard to imagine any game showing every penny of that on screen.
However, for players who have been along for the ride since the early days, getting the finished product in their hands in a somewhat great state will likely be enough. You also have to consider that some of the money has been spent on maintaining the Alpha all these years, and into making the spin-off Squadron 42. Of course, a spin-off arriving before the base game raises questions in and of itself, especially after that too suffered significant delays, having missed its 2014 window and each subsequent target before settling on 2026 for the first episode, of which three are planned. You would be unwise to bet the farm on that date being met.
Looking into Star Citizen, I feel I know as much as when I started. It seems a pretty decent game that does not appear value for money, and one that grows ever more dated with each passing year. It has a passionate fanbase it appears prepared to let down and string along, but who will one day see the sun again when the game launches. Whether anyone else will care much, I’m not so sure. But Star Citizen remains an overly expensive game with not enough to show for it, and I wonder how long its fanbase is prepared to wait.
- Released
- January 1, 2014
- Developer(s)
- Cloud Imperium Games Corporation