Amid suggestions that Rockstar Games is spending up to $1.5 billion on the development of Grand Theft Auto VI, which would make it the most expensive video game ever made, there is at least one other game confirmed to have reached 10-figure funding. Star Citizen has now raised over $1 billion in funding from over 6.5 million people.
Star Citizen first appeared in 2012 with a Kickstarter campaign that had a relatively modest goal of $500,000. Developer Cloud Imperium Games exceeded that goal as backers shelled out more than $2.1 million (a separate campaign at the time brought in $4.1 million). The project broke a world crowdfunding record in 2014 after surpassing $55 million in funding.
By the time Star Citizen was released in Early Access in 2017, the studio had raised over $170 million. Nearly nine years later, the space combat simulation remains in alpha state.
“It’s not something that could be achieved with funding from a traditional video game publisher or private equity. They typically wouldn’t have the time or patience, but with what we’re doing, people just want to see the world as big and as good as possible, and they love the idea of ​​the dream. And as we move forward and they see more, it gets stronger, fundamentally,” said Chris Roberts, game director and CEO of Cloud Imperium. Variety.
“I fully believe that we still have a lot of time left, even after we release what we call version 1.0, and that we are no longer considering an alpha version, that we will add and build on the universe and the world, and that it will be a place where people can adventure together, meet, and have fun together.”
After several delays, the solo spin-off Squadron 42 is still planned for this year, according to the game’s website. Cloud Imperium has yet to announce a firm release date for this game. Still, Roberts is looking forward to players getting their hands on it and has hinted that it may not be too far away.
“My point is, basically, you’re the star of this huge blockbuster event film, and it seamlessly shifts between narration and cinematic moments, you’re in control and in first person, and you convey it, move through the story, and have a level of detail and scale and scope that you don’t normally see in a game,” Roberts said. “It’s pretty epic. I actually get really excited when people… because we’re right at the end now, we’re in the final stages, and everything is going really well.”
