There is news from Star Citizen. In a letter to the loyal fans, visionary Chris Roberts writes that a studio in Los Angeles is closing. However, that’s fine; some things need to be moved on the home stretch. He’s giving the players something, at least those who have spent a lot of money: They will receive a picture, or rather, a graphic file. This amuses the critics.
This is the message from Chris Roberts: The video game developer begins the message cheerfully (via reddit): While working full steam towards the release of Star Citizen and Squadron 42, a lot is being moved. As already announced, “key employees” will be shifted, and the studio in Los Angeles will close. Employees need to be closer to their teams and to the action.
To celebrate all the nice contributions the studio has made to the project, every member of the “Chairman’s Club” will receive a piece of history: An image of the artwork that hung above Chris Roberts’ desk: An image showing the ship “Constellation”.
The picture is meant to honor the office but also the “unwavering support of the community.”
Chris Roberts gives a picture to large donors
How is the closure of the studio commented on? The closure of the studio doesn’t seem to concern many. The music has long been playing in Manchester. According to fan circles, the studio in Los Angeles has been vacant for some time.
It has long been known that only marketing, finance, and similar operations should take place in LA for CIG, but nothing relevant to the game anymore.
There are again people who are scoffing at Star Citizen and the slow development. However, the closure of the studio in LA hardly plays a role in the discussion.
Squadron 42 was once announced for 2015 – still has no release date
This is the point: What is being mocked, however, is the “gesture” presented here: Giving away the digital picture of a ship and only to members of the Chairman Club, who are people who have invested at least $1,000 in Star Citizen to reach the concierge level.
This picture could then be hung by players who have spent enough money on ships in their hangar with Alpha 4.1.
Here you can already see part of the problem: While Chris Roberts talks fictionally about the release 1.0, there is no practical sense of it. Here we are in front of Alpha 4.1.0. Even the single-player spin-off Squadron 42, once announced for 2015, still has no release date (via golem).
Critics scoff at the gesture
This is the reaction to the gesture: There are some mocking comments on reddit, at least in the harsh forum regarding Star Citizen where players want their money back.
- “How generous: A free JPG of a JPG”
- “OH MY GOD – A picture that hung above the desk of THE Chris Roberts. I’m about to faint.”
- “My God, the splendor of the building and office of Chris Roberts. He hasn’t released anything for 13 years and receives a billion dollars in investment. This guy is shameless. It’s incredible – and the whales still believe in the ‘forthcoming 1.0 release’.”
What’s behind it: From the outside, it is indeed a strange gesture: Associating the closure of a studio with the words: “Let’s celebrate what they’ve done nicely by giving you a free picture, but not to everyone, just to our whales” is definitely a strange gesture.
The reasoning that “employees need to be closer to their teams” sounds flimsy. Apparently, the focus of production has shifted to England, and it seems that one is getting bogged down with the many locations and different time zones.
However, the “unwavering dedication of the fans” apparently isn’t affected by this news: The man who helped raise more than $1 billion for Star Citizen is gone
