Bethesda’s gigantic space RPG, Starfield, was the company’s first new intellectual property in 25 years, meaning it had a lot riding on it to be something special. However, the game’s release was met with a wave of disappointment, as it failed to live up to the high standards set by the studio’s previous works. Even the latest Shattered Space DLC couldn’t steer the game away from its course issues.
With Bethesda and company president Todd Howard failing to give a meaningful space RPG, many considered that the upcoming Star Citizen could deliver on those promises and might be the “Starfield killer.” Unfortunately, it seems like Star Citizen is yet another failure that won’t see the light of the day.
The Chaos Behind Star Citzen’s 12-Year Development Journey
Originally starting as a Kickstarter project back in 2012, Star Citizen has managed to collect an astonishing $700 million in funding over the past decade. It’s projected to be the biggest game ever crafted, even surpassing what Rockstar has managed to do with its Grand Theft Auto series. Despite all the buzz, the game is still stuck in a state of perpetual development.
So, what’s really going on behind the scenes? Well, according to a report, things aren’t going that well for the game’s developer, Cloud Imperium Games (CIG). Before this year’s CitizenCon, the studio apparently pressured its developers to work on weekends and only allow Sundays off if they’ve managed to work for 56 hours already.
Despite boasting a record-breaking budget, Star Citizen is facing significant financial strain. Earlier this year, the studio decided to axe over 100 jobs in Los Angeles and Austin, along with halting expected wage increases.
CIG’s funding strategy for the game is centered around the release of Squadron 42 to support Star Citizen and its sequels in the future. Even though it’s claimed that Squadron 42 reached its “feature complete” stage a year ago, reports suggest it managed to achieve that status recently.
Star Citizen‘s development issues can also be attributed to the CIG’s founder, Chris Roberts. He has established a reputation for bringing game-defining changes on a regular basis that cause development issues for developers. His perfectionist attitude has cost the project and the studio greatly.
Another major hurdle is the game’s Star Engine, which has crushed the development efforts. Initially, the title was based on CryEngine but then moved to Amazon Lumberyard Fork. It’s been modified way too many times, and it’s labeled by the staff at CIG as a Frankenstein of a development tool.
Considering all these issues for the developer, it seems like Star Ctiizen‘s full release is still years away. If these development problems continue, and CIG doesn’t resolve them at the earliest, the game might end up losing all the hype behind it even before it releases.
Star Citizen is At a Point of No Return
As Star Citizen continues to change or stagnate, depending on who you ask, the major sentiment around the game is a mix of frustration and disappointment.
Early funders, who hoped for a groundbreaking title that could challenge the biggest AAA developers, now watch the entire project with a sense of bemusement, comparing its decade-long development to a soap opera.
With the years passing, the controversy surrounding the game’s future grows more complex. Are the game’s big goals achievable, or are we witnessing a tale of what happens when developers’ dreams go a bit too extreme?
Few players still hope for redemption like No Man’s Sky, but as the title’s history suggests, not every star can align in harmony. Only time will tell if this ambitious project will ever return to its path, but for now, it seems like it has failed to achieve what it had set out to.
With that said, what do you think about Star Citizen and CIG’s current struggles? Let us know in the comments below.
