The total amount of donations for the development of the Star Citizen space simulator exceeded $ 250 million. According to , the game entered the top three most expensive projects in the history of the industry, overtaking Star Wars: The Old Republic and Halo 2. In total, almost 2,5 million users participated in the financing, each of which contributed an average of $102. The data is given on the project.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is considered the most expensive game in history, with an inflation-adjusted budget of $292 million (about $200 million of this amount was spent on an advertising campaign). cost about $285 million (of which about $128 million was spent on promotion). The creation of Star Wars: The Old Republic and Halo 2 was spent about $223 million and $212 million, respectively - less than Star Citizen raised. What is the advertising budget for the space simulator is unknown. It is worth considering that in reality there may be more such expensive projects, since not all publishers disclose the relevant information.
The campaign has been going on for more than seven years: it started in October 2012 on Kickstarter and later moved to the official website. All of the additional development goals were reached as the fundraiser crossed the $65 million mark. One of the reasons for the jump was probably the ship worth $500 presented at the event.
At CitizenCon 2019, the developers showed a large and cold microTech planet (Stanton IV). Using her example, they demonstrated the upcoming Planet Tech 4.0 technology and dynamic weather changes. The first will appear in Alpha 3.8 - the next version of the simulator - and the second will be added in 2020. In addition, there was the announcement of a new mode Theaters of War, combining the features of Arena Commander and Star Marine (something in the spirit of Battlefield). It will become available in the first quarter of next year. The authors also allowed us to look at jump points (Jump Points) - the most important element, without which it is impossible to create the promised "full-fledged, constantly changing" universe. Through the first of these gates, players will be able to travel from the current Stanton star system to the devastated Pyro system, where only pirates can be encountered.
Finally, the creators talked about the punishment system. Upon committing a crime (which in Star Citizen includes but not limited to murder, sabotage, insurance fraud, item theft, vehicle theft, collision with a vehicle, resisting arrest, and parking violations), players will go to jail, where they will temporarily lose all items. Under certain conditions, the term of imprisonment can be reduced (for example, if the player agrees to work in the mines). You can also try to escape from prison with the help of friends who are outside. Prisoners will be able to communicate with each other, gamble (bet on fights), engage in smuggling and much more. Learn more about this system in the video below.
Now the developers are holding another promotion , within which any user can try the game for free. The offer is valid until December 5th.
The Squadron 42 story campaign is still in development. The single player beta test will launch in the third quarter of 2020 ( scheduled). The creators do not talk about the timing of the release of the full version of Star Citizen - some time ago they decided to focus on immediate goals. The farthest point on the roadmap (not counting Squadron 42) is Alpha 4.0, which should appear in the second quarter of next year.
Source: 3dnews.ru