Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Star Citizen Flies Past $39 Million Mark, New Goals Detailed
Even though Roberts Space Industries' Star Citizen Kickstarter campaign ended in November 2012, it has continued to generate money through crowd-funding through its own site. It was revealed that Star Citizen has surpassed the $39 million mark, in a blog post by developer Chris Roberts this weekend.
Star Citizen is a space trading and combat simulator that aims to allow players to participate in space combat battles and trading goods while in a massive persistent universe that players will be able to populate. Roberts Space Industries has already announced dozens of planets for Star Citizen, but the new financial milestone has allowed the company to add one more solar system, UDS-2943-01-22.
According to Star Citizen lore, the system was once thought to contain a single massive star, but there are actually three stars orbiting one another. The post goes on to state that a jump point to the system likely exists, but currently hasn’t been explored by humans and the area remains a mystery.
“Beyond the bizarre stellar makeup, the composition of the system is all but unknown,” Roberts wrote in the post. “Could planets exist in this carefully balanced web? What else might have been drawn there? One thing is certain: the first Citizen to travel to UDS-2943-01-22 will have one hell of a view!”
There are two more stretch goals behind the $39 million point listed on the Star Citizen website. The $40 million goal will add two more locations: the Kabal and Oretani systems. At the $41 million point, a procedural generation research and development team will be added to the project. Its task will be developing the technology for procedurally generated iterations of Star Citizen in the future.
A $42 million stretch goal is also set to be revealed in the future. We last heard from Star Citizen when the dogfighting module was delayed. Roberts also posted new artwork for the Javelin-class destroyer, which can be found in the gallery below.
Roberts hasn't announced a beta for Star Citizen at this point, but the developer is planning an Alpha before the end of 2014, and is projecting a wider release in 2015.
Our Take
Star Citizen's success with crowd-funding is impressive. Star Citizen has big promises to deliver on, but should it succeed, the player base that contributed those millions will likely give the game staying power. I’m glad something as ambitious as Star Citizen is getting some attention, and it is something I’ll definitely have to keep a closer eye on as it nears completion.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
