At CitizenCon 2024, the home convention of the developers of Star Citizen, there was an update on Squadron 42 and the presentation of the planned release window. MeinMMO summarizes the most important points for you.
What was announced for Squadron 42? On the first day of CitizenCon 2954, there was an update as well as fresh gameplay for the single-player offshoot of Star Citizen. The key takeaway from the video:
Although Squadron 42 is said to be “feature complete” according to Chris Roberts since October 2023, the release is only planned for the year 2026 (which will be about 14 years after the announcement during the Kickstarter campaign in 2012).
You will have to wait at least another 14 months and a few days. It could also be nearly 26 months (or more, if there should be another delay).
Here is the current outlook on the campaign of Squadron 42:
What does the gameplay reveal show?
- In the approximately 76 minutes, you can expect a mix of gameplay (with space battles) and cinematically staged in-game sequences.
- The virtual version of actor star Henry Cavill welcomed the audience at the beginning of the gameplay reveal and emphasized with his appearance the prominent cast that the developers have assembled for Squadron 42. Among others, Mark Hamill, Gary Oldman, John Rhys-Davies, and Gillian Anderson are on board.
- The mass of details that stand out in every scene again shows the incredible ambitions behind Squadron 42. At the same time, there were occasional bugs and glitches in the gameplay moments that – considering the new release year – are not surprising and show that the game still needs quite a bit of polishing.
If you want to watch the long presentation yourself, you can do so here:
“LoL, a decade after the first release date”
How is the community reacting to the announcement? Naturally, the release year is now being discussed prominently on the community platforms.
- teem0s writes on Reddit: “LoL, a decade after the first release date in 2016. Impressive stuff indeed.”
- SimpleCRIPPLE cannot believe it (via Reddit): “Wow. From feature completion and polishing phase in 2023 to: We are confident we can release it in 2026.”
- Stinkypp is angry (via Reddit): “What a freaking joke. They’ve been saying for a whole decade that this garbage won’t come for another two years.”
- Starbuckz42 is torn (via Reddit): “2026 is a huge disappointment. […] Other than that, the demo was absolutely stunning. Insane. Pure cinema, I can hardly wait.”
What else do I need to know? The revelation of the release year of Squadron 42 casts a shadow over an insider report based on interviews with more than a dozen sources, which is also supported by the recent financial report and previous reports.
According to this report, despite the enormous crowdfunding revenue of over 728 million US dollars, financial issues surrounding Star Citizen and Squadron 42 are expected. Besides the critical work environment, especially chief Chris Roberts is sharply criticized by former and current employees.
Furthermore, the report states that Squadron 42 is actually only now supposed to be “feature complete” and that they are working on a third project to create another pillar for funding. More on all this here: SciFi-MMO Star Citizen is said to be heading towards the abyss despite 728 million dollars
