Star Citizen has had its fair share of controversy, but most of it almost always boils down to how much money the space game’s developers have taken from prospective players in the name of its production. Waiting over ten years of development for any game at all has left backers of the giant project unsatisfied. With little to no solid progress and no launch date in sight, it is no wonder then that many of us have been left wondering what exactly is going on with Star Citizen. Well, it turns out that the game has cashed in quite the check, spending more on its development than a variety of triple-A games have… combined.
Online disputes surrounding the Star Citizen project and its funding have persisted throughout the years. The game has been in production for well over a decade now, accumulating over $590 million for its development cost thus far. To better put this amount into perspective, take a few of the biggest and most notoriously expensive triple-A games, combine them, and stare in awe at the outcome. Grand Theft Auto 5‘s development cost comes in at $137 million, Red Dead Redemption 2‘s at $170 million, and Cyberpunk 2077‘s at $174 million.
This means that even added all together, three of the largest video games ever made still cost less combined to develop than Star Citizen has thus far—and Star Citizen still does not even have a projected release date. Even without any background knowledge of the situation as a whole, I would be able to see why there is so much controversy around this game. If you discount the lawsuits and retaliation from former backers of the project, you are still left with an unfinished game with goals far too massive for what little development has been shown thus far.
Honestly, this news is beyond disappointing in my opinion. As a player who often looks forward to crowd-funded projects and indie games, no matter how out of reach the developers’ goals may seem, the way that Star Citizen has likely mishandled its community’s support is not okay. It shines a negative light on all Kickstarter games and other non-triple-A projects, making prospective players less likely to offer their support. With this amount of money received and used, Star Citizen could have made something downright massive.
If you want to browse around our site some more, check out some other multiplayer games that are already out and playable with friends. You can also look through some of the best FPS games if you are looking to experience a similar thrill to the one Star Citizen aims to provide.
