Star Citizen, the ambitious and controversial space simulation game, has now raised over $700 million according to figures from its developer, Cloud Imperium Games (CIG).
The developer makes its revenue publicly available on its website, which at the time of this article’s publication shows that Star Citizen has amassed $704,586,361 in “funds raised.”
Detailed Revenue Breakdown
CIG provides a detailed breakdown of this revenue by recent months, weeks, and hours. On the morning of May 28, the game brought in $42,886 in just one hour. The previous day, May 27, saw a total of approximately $1.5 million raised. The past week brought in $10,883,513, and the month of April saw $4,753,264. Notably, revenue appears to have picked up significantly in May following the launch of the Alpha 3.23: Adventure Beckons update.
Controversy and Criticism
Star Citizen is one of the most controversial projects in the video game industry. Since its crowdfunding campaign began 12 years ago, it has faced accusations of being a scam, with critics questioning whether it will ever officially launch. The game’s virtual spaceships, some costing hundreds of dollars, are often at the center of this criticism.
Recent Developments and Future Plans
Alpha 3.23 launched two months after CIG began discussing the prospect of Star Citizen’s 1.0 launch, more than a decade after the initial crowdfunding drive. CIG chief Chris Roberts has stated that 2024 will see the launch of Star Citizen Alpha 4.0. The developer is working to integrate features developed for Squadron 42, a standalone story-based game featuring actors such as Mark Hamill and Gillian Anderson, into the persistent universe portion of Star Citizen at an accelerated pace.
All of these developments are building up to the eventual release of Star Citizen 1.0. Roberts has described this version as including the features and content set needed for a “commercial” release. However, there is still no specific release date or window for Star Citizen 1.0. CIG has announced that it will share the game’s roadmap later this year.