The game Star Citizen, developed by Cloud Imperium Games, is considered one of the longest-running projects in the video game industry.
Originally launched in 2012 through crowdfunding, the project has managed to raise more than $800 million to date. However, more than a decade later, the game still hasn’t released a final version and remains in alpha development.
From the very beginning, Star Citizen was introduced as a massive space simulator with a dynamic and limitless world, promising players a unique experience of space travel, trading, combat, and exploration. But the lengthy development process, frequent design changes, and lack of a clear roadmap for a 1.0 release have led to heavy criticism from the gaming community and industry critics.
In October 2024, a report by Tom Henderson shed light on the behind-the-scenes operations at the studio. The report revealed that although a large portion of the funding had been spent on development, mismanagement and slow decision-making had caused serious delays. It also mentioned that intense pressure to meet deadlines had led to severe employee burnout and, eventually, the firing of some staff members.
Despite these issues, Chris Roberts, the founder of Cloud Imperium, announced in January 2025 that the development team is now closer than ever to launching version 1.0 of the game. However, no specific release date has been given yet. In the meantime, the game’s fanbase continues to buy subscription packages and in-game items, some priced as high as $48,000.
According to official statistics published on the Star Citizen website, the game has now raised or earned over $802 million for its development. This record-breaking figure makes Star Citizen the most expensive game in history based on funds raised—without even having a final version available yet.
