Initially funded via Kickstarter, Star Citizen launched its own independently managed crowdfunding campaign in October of 2012, earning more than $92 million in backer pledges in the years since. The funding campaign will continue up until the game’s launch.
“When I first started on this adventure I would have never dreamed that we would ever this many people and this much support in building Star Citizen,” project director Chris Roberts stated. “It’s amazing to have a community and team that believe so fervently in what is being built. Say it loud! PC games are back, space combat games are back… we are making Star Citizen possible!”
Roberts previously created the Wing Commander series of space combat simulators for PCs in 1990, and designed many of the sequels that followed. The series took a cinematic turn starting in Wing Commander III, and subsequent entries featured full-motion video sequences starring actors like Mark Hamill and Malcolm McDowell.
Star Citizen itself is an open-world interstellar trading and combat sim that puts players in control of many different types of spacecraft within a persistent online universe. The game’s campaign component, titled Squadron 42, features single-player missions and a multiplayer co-operative element. Announced voice talent for Squadron 42 includes Gary Oldman, John Rhys-Davies, and Gillian Anderson.
Fan support for Star Citizen has funded a number of stretch goals in the years after the game was initially revealed. Recent funding milestones have ensured the creation of new in-game ships, expanded mission structures, and new star systems that players will be able to explore and scavenge for resources.
Star Citizen will see a series of episodic releases starting in early 2016 with the launch of Squadron 42‘s first playable chapter.
