Yes, we can say it's still alive!
Yes, we can say it's still alive!
I acknowledge Star Citizen has a significant expansion of features, yet I prefer not to compromise quality by building it on a tighter budget. I’m unsure if 2016 marked its first official launch, but I recall whispers about releases in 2014 and 2015—never imagining they’d become real. It’s satisfying simply to listen for new Star Citizen updates and look forward to Squadron 42 arriving eventually.
Some adjustments to your comments: The two announced launch dates were November 2014 and 2016. The November 2014 release marked the debut of both Star Citizen and Squadron 42, as outlined in the Kickstarter initiative. This would have been the 19 million dollar SC/SQ42 project you observed in the campaign video; unfortunately, we didn’t secure that funding, which would have been necessary to meet the community’s expectations. Chis Roberts also noticed this gap and attempted to raise additional support after the campaign to push the game toward a more polished AAA experience. With extra funds coming in late 2012 to early 2013, the original project was essentially scrapped and replaced by a significantly larger version, extending development from a two-year indie plan to an estimated five years. This marked the first major shift, as it wasn’t publicly disclosed and remains largely unconfirmed. In 2016, the first version of Squadron 42 in its current form was unveiled at CitizenCon in October. However, due to substantial improvements—especially in procedural planet generation—the team decided to prioritize those features for early 2017, though no official confirmation was given. Interestingly, the planets module appears to be a separate development area; the tech demo at CitizenCon 2016 was reduced in scope, highlighting what could have been added. If this component is ready while other core elements are still evolving, it might be worth including for a more polished experience. Examining the logs suggests their current challenges lie with FPS and AI performance. The current demo doesn’t seem fully refined, which aligns with their goal to improve after the 2016 CitizenCon showcase. Regarding the extended timeline, it’s important to note that building the studio required significant effort. The Kickstarter build was completed by a small team of 12; by 2014 they had around 270 contributors. By October 2016, CIG employed about 360 people, and they continue hiring. Over time, development accelerated considerably. Before 2014 there were minimal updates, but especially in early 2016 there was a rapid patch cycle. Overall, Chris’s involvement has been inconsistent, and his lack of prior crowdfunding experience raised concerns about the project’s legitimacy. However, the team remains active, and I remain optimistic about the upcoming developments over the next few months.
If they dropped the project, then took the funds and fled, then yes it would be a scam. Games require time to develop (Even Digital Homicide contradicts this), and if you checked their regular updates on their YouTube channel, you'd understand why it's taking so long. It's one of the most ambitious projects ever. Creating something great demands patience and effort—it doesn't happen overnight. Ah, who am I kidding? You're likely just a troll.
Progress is moving steadily, though the timelines they share in marketing materials can be misleading. Those who notice the shortcomings take time to consider their claims. If they can deliver a solid 3.0 within the next six months to a year and create a richly detailed universe with fully developed planets and stations, it suggests rapid large-scale development when you disregard the presented deadlines.
I'm still thinking about purchasing it just to see how it works. I'll hold off for a bit—maybe around the mid-2000s or later.
I intentionally avoided mentioning it at first, because it turned out to be a pretty disappointing release. It was like a chaotic rush of excitement! I still included Spore on that list, though I’m not sure why. The main idea was that the games I mentioned, except for Spore, had big delays but ultimately succeeded and were well-received when they launched. Plus, they were generally smaller in scope compared to what Star Citizen intends to become.