The SF-MMO Star Citizen has now announced that it will no longer specify exact dates for when future features are expected to be completed. This is because “passionate fans” often see these announcements and timelines as promises, whereas they are merely assumptions. Developer CIG now wants to announce only what they are currently working on, in the next 3 months.
This is the situation:
- Star Citizen has now raised over $433 million through crowdfunding, with the sale of virtual ships bringing in the most money: The most expensive package costs over €35,000.
- Release dates for when the MMO or the single-player campaign would be finished have not been mentioned in a long time. However, a large roadmap has been published, detailing when future features and parts of the game are likely to be completed – the timeline extends over the next 2 to 3 years.
- Now they no longer want to share these dates, but just think from quarter to quarter. They state: they will not show what they are working on in the upcoming patches, but will only talk about the current patch in the next quarter.
“Very loud fans” constantly make noise and are distracting
Why are they doing this? Star Citizen says:
- The public roadmap was a mistake, as is now evident after 6 quarters.
- The roadmap had placed too much focus on features that were likely still being shuffled around – the development of Star Citizen is highly dynamic and constantly evolving.
- No matter how much it has been assured that the dates are just assumptions and not promises, many of the “most passionate fans” have taken them as promises – even if it is acknowledged that many fans understood that the dates are just flexible assumptions.
- These passionate people have then made “constant noise” whenever a feature was postponed – this has been a distraction for CIG and the community and has also disrupted fans who are waiting on the sidelines and observing the open development.
Sorry if we prevented people from spending more money
What is the reaction? The reaction to this announcement has been quite harsh. Fans are reacting with cynical comments:
- A user says: “My apologies to CIG for feeling frustrated after 10 years and for distracting people from spending even more money.”
- “Does CIG really believe they have delivered anything? In 2012, Star Citizen was a space exploration game with 185 systems – in 2022, we have one system with prison clothing and coffee.”
- A user says: With all due respect, the tone of the statement sounds off. This is the first time that CIG’s PR takes an aggressive, negative stance towards the community.
Even though Star Citizen is often critically scrutinized from the outside, it is clear that the game is indeed being significantly developed. Even if certainly not at the pace many players desire:
Star Citizen – players rave “New update 3.15 is a real game-changer”
