Star Citizen is A Lifestyle: Crowdfunding Hits $200 Million

The most successful entertainment crowdfunding campaign just keeps on growing! Star Citizen, the insanely ambitious and seemingly always evolving space sim, just crossed the $200 million mark in time for its anniversary this week, despite having no release date in sight. It does however, have one habitable planet after seven years of development, and you can check it out this week for free!

Earlier this year we shared the news that Star Citizen already had 2 million invested players, a portion of whom pay monthly subscription fees to gain access to all of the game's insider and community based features and content. Much of the other money comes from the sale of in-game digital assets, namely super expensive starships (some cost over $1000!).

Related: Star Citizen Is Really Pushing The Patience (And Wallets) Of Its Community

In that respect, players can buy progress and wealth in-game using real-world money even though there is no full game. There are playable portions of it in the Alpha 3.3 build, including Arena Commander (starship PvP), Murray Cup (ship racing), and Star Marine (FPS) and the main Persistent Test Universe which is totally worth checking out if you haven't been following along.

For the curious or for invested players who paid for one of the many pledge packages and are still waiting on the game, anyone and everyone can try Star Citizen and all of its offerings for free this week. Yes, that means you can try out every single playable ship that's already in the game. The goal of course, is to get more potential buyers to join the 2,123,763 players (at the time of this writing) who have already joined the universe.

Star Citizen will be FREE for anyone to try from November 23 to November 30.

Note: Each day during Free Fly Schedule has different ships available, base on the different in-game starship manufacturers. See page 3 for a specific list of every ship available, by day.

The timing of the $200 million milestone is perfect for creator Chris Roberts (Wing Commander, Starlancer) and the community since last month was host to CitizenCon 2018 where the game's first habitable planet, Hurston, was revealed.

Hurston is a massive planet encompassing thousands of kilometers of playable space, with more than five distinct biomes including cityscapes, savannahs, frigid tundra’s, mountains and coastal seascapes. Lorville, the planet’s major city hub, will also be available to all players. In Lorville, players can expect to find a densely populated, living city, including the “New Deal” ship shop, the game’s in-game location for the buying of in-game ships with in-game currency.

There's even a fully operational train that travels around the city! Check out the amazing screenshots on the next two pages.

Roberts wrote a letter to the Star Citizen community yesterday about the milestone, thanking the massive international community for taking part (spending) in the dream that is this ambitious project. Check it out, alongside details of what the game is offering next, and what separates Star Citizen from any other game on page 2.

Page 2 of 3: Chris Roberts Writes to Star Citizen Community About $200 Million Milestone

Letter from the Chairman, Chris Roberts

Dear Citizens,

Two Hundred Million Dollars.

Wow.

The amount is the highest total for any project in the history of crowdfunding and is beyond anything I could have imagined in my wildest dreams.

While the number is impressive, that is not what sets Star Citizen and Squadron 42 apart.

The true celebration is one of how a community came together to enable a shared dream to come to life.  How gamers from all over the world came together to finance one of the biggest and most ambitious projects ever embarked on. There is no publisher. No big conglomerate. This is all grassroots, funded by gamers for gamers.

To highlight just how global the support is, the person that took us past this milestone, Algared, hails from New South Wales in Australia and has been a backer since 2014. We have backers from 171 countries, from some of the smallest like San Marino or the Maldivesto the largest like India and China. We cover the globe, pole to pole from Antarctica to Svalbard and Jan Mayen.  Considering there are only 193 countries in the world, that’s an amazing number and shows how universal the appeal of Star Citizen is.

And it’s more than just the funding, it’s been six years of ground breaking open development, where all of you have been actively involved in what we are building.

You have watched us grow from a handful of people to a global staff of over 500, across 5 studios, 4 time zones and 3 countries. Some of the best talent in the industry is working on Star Citizen and Squadron 42, most of who are gamers that are inspired by your passion to push the boundaries of what is possible.

We give you multiple updates every week and have been since the inception of the project.  This year we rolled out a live roadmap for Star Citizen’s development that is linked to our internal task and scheduling system and shows the planned features and content for the next four upcoming releases of Star Citizen Alpha. This December, we will also add the roadmap for Squadron 42’s completion.

Speaking on behalf of the team, we are always amazed and humbled by the talent, imagination, creativity and passion that we see from the community. The beautiful screen shots and videos, the streamers that push the boundaries of what the game can do even in Alpha, the detailed proposals and feedback on how to make things better and the patient bug hunting so many of you do.

To reduce Star Citizen to just be about the amount raised is to do a disservice to all this.  No other game shares as much information on a weekly basis, and no other game I know of is as focused on listening to and working with its community to make the best game possible. When I look around and see other games, even ones from major publishers, copying our playbook, I know we have had a positive influence on the gaming industry.

How Star Citizen is made, in public, warts and all, is part of what makes it special. It should be a no-brainer to cheer on a grassroots funded game that is literally shooting for the stars. No one is attempting to do what we are doing, in the manner we are doing it, nor being as open about as we are.  Different and new can be scary, but it can also be exhilarating and rewarding. These uncharted frontiers of game development and funding, mirror the draw of the game itself; the lure of distant planets to explore, realized to an unprecedented detail and scale.

This is why I believe Star Citizen has resonated with so many; we’re breaking both real and virtual barriers and boldly going where no gamer and game has gone before.  And we couldn’t be doing it without all of you, our partners in this journey and the best community in gaming!

This milestone is coming at a very exciting time for the project having just released Star Citizen Alpha 3.3 with Object Container Streaming (OCS) and Client Bind Culling, which makes a huge difference in client performance and memory usage. Face over IP (FOIP) is in the community’s hands and is proving to be a game changer. No other game has the ability to drive your avatar’s face and look via a webcam, as well as to place your voice diegetically inside the game. The possibilities for social interactions inside the world of Star Citizen now mirror what you can do in the real world. Lastly, with ship purchasing live in 3.3, we have a full game loop with basic progression, where you have a reason to haul cargo, take missions or mine.

This week marks the start of our 2948 Anniversary Event, which celebrates the end of the original crowdfunding campaign back in November 2012. This year we are particularly excited by our Free Fly event where we are opening the opportunity to try out the 80 flyable ships and vehicles in game.

Star Citizen Alpha 3.3.5, which brings a lot more content, including the planet of Hurston, it’s moons and the major landing zone Lorville, is currently in PTU and should be Live in the next few days.

We are getting closer all the time to having a living, breathing persistent universe and as we close out this year, I look at the technology we must complete to achieve the vision and realize we are nearer to the end than the start.

This knowledge, aided by the continued support and excitement we feel from all of you propels us forward with enthusiasm and a thirst for seeing the universe of Star Citizenbecome a home for gamers everywhere.

Thank you, each and every one of you, for believing in the vision, supporting its development with unwavering commitment and making gaming history.

-Chris Roberts

The shocking thing however, is that because of how big the game continues to get, and what it's continually adding, it still seems years and years away from any sort of 'completed' 1.0 release. Just check out the official Star Citizen development roadmap to see. By mid-2019 they're still only targeting adding things like more locations, in-game physical inventory, exterior ship repair, etc.

At this rate, the total universe may never complete. It's been seven years and it could be another seven. We don't know. For now, players can try out the public test universe to see what's in there, or try the first-person shooter gameplay and racing. Star Citizen is a lifestyle and a promise, but it's far away from being a game.

Page 3 of 3: Complete List of All of Star Citizen's Playable Ships in Free Fly Schedule

Complete List of All of Star Citizen's Playable Ships in Free Fly Schedule

November 23 – Anvil Aerospace

• Arrow: Agile fighter that packs a huge punch. A speedy glass cannon.
• Gladiator: A ruggedly built two-person dive bomber.
• Hornet F7C: Tough and dependable, the F7C is a multipurpose medium fighter.
• Hornet F7C Wildfire: Special Edition of the F7C Hornet with custom livery and loadout geared for Arena Commander.
• Hornet F7C-R – Tracker: Sacrificing a turret for an advanced radar dome, the Hornet Tracker seeks what is hidden.
• Hornet F7C-S – Ghost: Stealthy, quiet, silent – the Ghost haunts an area by keeping a low profile.
• Hornet F7C-M – Super Hornet: A two-seater multi-purpose medium fighter with a heavier loadout.
• Hurricane: A heavy fighter with excessive loadout, including a turret that punches through shields and defenses.
• Terrapin: Heavily armored ship with a sophisticated scanner, ideal for recon and exploration.
• Valkyrie: A heavily armed multirole gunship and dropship.

November 24 – Roberts Space Industries

• Aurora ES: A descendent of the X-7, this is the perfect choice for new ship owners. Versatile and intuitive.
• Aurora LN: For the combat focused, the Aurora LN comes with bigger shields and larger weapons that pack a punch.
• Aurora LX: The Aurora Deluxe, adding luxury and comfort for long stretches in the deep black.
• Aurora MR: A balance of function and performance, the Aurora MR comes with cargo capacity and guns to ensure freight gets there safely.
• Constellation Andromeda: A multicrew freighter with modular design, the RSI Andromeda is one of the most iconic ships in the verse.
• Constellation Aquila: Exploring the stars and distant horizons, the redesigned cockpit offers max visibility with a rover and sensor suite to explore it all.
• Constellation Phoenix: A chariot of the Gods, this converted luxury, high performance Constellation freighter is ideal for VIP transport.
• Ursa Rover: Rugged, Durable and tough, this is the rover you need to explore a multitude of environments.

November 25 – Origin Jumpworks

• 300i: Travel in style with this high-performance sleek touring ship.
• 315p: Traverse the ‘verse with this high-performance exploration focused ship.
• 325a: Origin’s sleek signature fighter, the 325 makes a great companion for finding your mark in style and sophistication.
• 350r: Origin’s sleek signature racer, the 350 makes a great companion for leaving your peers in the dust.
• 600i Explorer: The luxury yacht of Star Citizen, designed to explore in comfort and style with a vehicle bay.
• 85X: A luxury and sporty short-range runabout for pilot and passenger.
• M50: Origin’s premier racer, small, fast and highly agile.

November 26 – Aegis Dynamics

• Avenger Stalker: A modified version of the Avenger, catering to bounty hunters with prison cells.
• Avenger Titan: A former police ship with a cargo hold for light freight and courier abilities.
• Avenger Titan Renegade: Special Edition of the Avenger Titan with custom livery and loadout geared for Arena Commander.
• Avenger Warlock: A variant of the Avenger, armed with EMP generator to disable enemies.
• Eclipse: A sleek stealth bomber, armed with heavy torpedoes.
• Gladius: An aged but agile light fighter with mid-range armament.
• Gladius Valiant: Special Edition of the Gladius with custom livery and loadout geared for Arena Commander.
• Hammerhead: A multi-crew corvette bristling with manned turrets designed to counter fighters.
• Reclaimer: A heavy deep space salvage vessel to reclaim wrecks and derelicts.
• Retaliator Bomber: A long-range anti capital ship bomber, covered in turrets and capable of launching size 9 torpedoes.
• Sabre: Favoring agility over durability, this ship is light, sleek and deadly.
• Sabre Comet: Special Edition of the Sabre with custom livery and loadout geared for Arena Commander.
• Vanguard Hoplite: Long-range Squad Dropship with a turret gunner.
• Vanguard Warden: Long-range Heavy Fighter with a turret gunner.

November 27 – Drake Interplanetary

• Buccaneer: A light fighter that sacrifices durability and an ejection seat for raw fire power.
• Caterpillar: A heavy multicrew commercial freighter. Lightly armed, with superior cargo capacity.
• Caterpillar Pirate: A heavy multicrew commercial freighter. Lightly armed, with superior cargo capacity and custom pirate livery.
• Cutlass Black: Black is Back. Drakes multicrew Cutlass is highly versatile, with combat and cargo prowess.
• Dragonfly Black: A two-seater grav-lev bike. Easily traverses rough terrain, or closes the distance in space.
• Dragonfly Yellowjacket: A two-seater grav-lev bike. Easily traverses rough terrain or closes the distance in space with custom yellow livery.
• Herald: No secret is safe, Drake’s Herald captures and stores information before leaving at blistering speed.

November 28 – Alien Manufacturers

• Khartu-al: Enigmatic, exotic and agile. The fragile Khartu-al excels at lateral thrust and maneuverability.
• Nox: Sleek and fast, this gravity bike slices across rough terrain. Perfect for scouting and racing.
• Nox Kue: Sleek and fast, this gravity bike slices across rough terrain. Perfect for scouting and racing with a bespoke Silver paintjob.
• Vanduul Glaive: This Alien medium fighter replica drives fear with it’s ramming blades.
• Vanduul Blade: Armed and Dangerous. This alien fighter slices through the air with it’s agility and shreds its foes.

November 29 – Musashi Industrial and Starflight Concern

• Freelancer: A multicrew cargo freighter, with turret and ordnance to deter those after it’s haul.
• Prospector: A miner’s best friend, with a powerful mining laser and saddle bags to turn mineral to profit.
• Razor: Cutting ahead of the competition, this sleek racer will give the others a run for pole position.
• Razor EX: Stealth special edition of the Razor outfitted with signature-reducing materials and stealth components.
• Razor LX: Special edition of the Razor features an overclocked engine, reduced maneuverability and armaments in exchange of straight-line speed.
• Reliant Kore: A fusion of Xi’an and Human technology, this light freighter allows you to haul cargo with a friend.
• Starfarer: Keep fleets on the move with this heavy refueler.
• Starfarer Gemini: Keep fleets on the move with this heavy refueler, the Gemini version sacrifices capacity for armor and a missile launcher.

November 30 – Kruger/Argo/Tumbril/ Consolidated Outland

• Argo MPUV 1C: A small and unarmed utility runabout that transports cargo.
• Argo MPUV 1P: A small unarmed utility runabout tuned to transport personnel.
• Cyclone: Stir up a storm with this robust two-seater buggy that can carry a little something in the back.
• Cyclone AA: This two-seater buggy with EMP functionality is armed with an anti-air missile launcher to deter threats from above.
• Cyclone RN: Unveils the fog of war, the recon variant of the Cyclone is mounted with a powerful scanner array.
• Cyclone TR: Support ground infantry with this combat variant, equipped with a mounted turret to provide cover fire for ground operations.
• Mustang Alpha: Consolidated Outland’s premier ship for those wanting to push the limits a little more when starting out.
• Mustang Beta: Home is where the heart is, the Beta offers comfortable living quarters for beginners roaming the frontier.
• Mustang Delta: The Mustang Delta is armed with heavier weapons and rocket pods.
• Mustang Gamma: Racing the competition? The additional engine loaded into the back will provide competitive the edge you need.
• P-52 Merlin: Small, agile and comes with a sting. This snub fighter is fragile, but difficult to hit.

More: Why A Player Spent $30,000 on Star Citizen

Star Citizen is currently in development for PC. No release dates have been set.

Source: Robert Space Industries

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