“The point of no return has already been passed”: an insider told what is happening with Star Citizen

Insider Tom Henderson spoke about the state of affairs and mood in the Cloud Imperium Games (CIG) studio, which has been developing the ambitious space simulator Star Citizen for 12 years with public money.

Image source: X (lavangfan)

According to a dozen former and current CIG employees interviewed by Henderson, the studio is on the verge of collapse, from which only a complete reorganization can save it. Some believe that “the point of no return has already been passed” and a disaster lies ahead.

CIG’s management is mismanaging its finances and the money appears to be running out:

• More than $700 million collected from players for the production and development of Star Citizen is already running out or has completely dried up – by the end of 2022, CIG spent over $630 million on development;
• Signs of financial problems are also observed among employees – the studio has frozen raises and salary increases;
• While CIG spends tens of thousands of pounds on custom Star Citizen-themed furniture and decor;
• In addition, a large portion of the ninth floor of CIG’s new Manchester office is occupied by an artsy coffee shop. “At least the baristas there serve us coffee,” jokes one employee.

Photo from CIG’s Manchester office (Image source: Dense-Art-1895 on Reddit)

As for the development of Star Citizen, it is complicated by several factors:

• The Star Engine (a heavily modified version of CryEngine) at the heart of the game is difficult to work with. At the same time, new functions are added to it on a regular basis, changed, and then removed – employees call the tool Frankenstein’s monster;
• Perfectionism of CIG head Chris Roberts – the manager tends to make important decisions that result in weeks of problems for the team: “Sometimes he checks the most basic functions several times, only to end up canceling them or deciding to redo them after the seventh inspection”;
• Roberts also gives the team unrealistic deadlines for completing tasks – a month’s worth of work is expected in a couple of weeks or a few days;
• Constant micromanagement – because of Roberts, decisions on the most insignificant details stretch out for several hours and even days, although they could be made in seconds. “They don’t seem to be trying to finish the game,” the ex-employee noted.

Because of these troubles, many veterans left CIG – they were replaced by newcomers who had no one to train. As a result, Henderson’s sources add, CIG developed a cult-like atmosphere and unhealthy work culture.

Some employees were hired at CIG simply because they were fans of the game (image source: CShockbreaker in X)

CIG is currently seeking additional sources of funding for the further development of Star Citizen. The studio has three ideas:

• Release Squadron 42 as soon as possible – the story game in the Star Citizen universe consists of 20 levels and, contrary to assurances last fall, only recently reached the stage of readiness of all functions. CIG hopes the project will be the start of a sub-series;
• Put up in-game ships for sale at even higher prices than were already available;
• Develop and publish a game in the medieval fantasy genre – no details.

The annual CitizenCon festival, which turns into a seven-day (later six-day) work week for CIG employees, will be held on October 19-20. A demo of the first chapter of Squadron 42 and a lot of new materials on Star Citizen are expected.

New Squadron 42 demo aims to show that release is “very close” (Image source: Cloud Imperium Games)