Star Citizen brings in an extra $1 million+ following new trailer, alpha 3.3 release

[midian182]

Why it matters: After being in development for six years, Star Citizen has raised close to $200 million through crowdfunding. After all that time and with the space sim still lacking a launch date, one might imagine that the cash flow had slowed down, but since the release of the Squadron 42 trailer and alpha 3.3 last week, Chris Roberts’ ambitious game has brought in an extra $1 million.

The trailer for the single-player campaign element of Star Citizen arrived alongside the start of the CitizenCon fan convention, bringing renewed interest in the game. Many liked what they saw; the clip showed off the slew of stars in the game: Gillian Anderson, Mark Hamill, Gary Oldman, Mark Strong, John Rhys Davies, Liam Cunningham, Ben Mendelsohn, and the soon-to-be Geralt of Rivia—Henry Cavill.

Additionally, a number of new virtual spaceships—the area where Star Citizen makes most of its income—went on sale, and alpha 3.3 was rolled out to public test servers. All of which saw developer Cloud Imperium Games bring in $380,000 in one day. Another $325,000 arrived on Thursday, followed by around $190,000 on both Friday and Saturday.

According to Roberts Space Industries' crowdfunding timeline, ‘just’ $171,582 arrived across the entire previous week. With total funding now standing at just over $195 million, the game's expected to break the $200 million barrier by the end of the year.

One of the new spaceships revealed last week was the Anvil Valkyrie dropship. The 5-crew vessel starts at almost $400 and reaches $840 when bought with all the extras. There’s also the Kraken capital ship, which has a crew capacity of ten. There’s no pricing available yet—anyone who wants one has to register their interest.

The alpha 3.3 update also added face and voice over internet protocol (FoIP) to Star Citizen. It lets players control their in-game character's facial expressions with their own using a webcam. Check it out in the video below.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/76925-star-citizen-brings-extra-1-million-following-new.html

 

[RaXoR]

People throwing more money at empty promises.

 

[Puiu]

God knows they need it at the rate they are spending it

 

[erickmendes]

Tesla of Games?

 

[Theinsanegamer]

More suckers putting another million into the world's worst scam. This game is gonna make duke nukem 3D look like a masterpiece.

The fact they have burnt through more money then rockstar did making GTA V is simply amazing. Even if star citizen becomes game of the decade, it will take hundreds of millions more then it ever should have to get there.

 

[Puiu]

Tesla of Games?

Tesla has a working product, CIG doesn't

 

[Morris Minor]

Its a trap!

 

[IAMTHESTIG]

People throwing more money at empty promises.

Works for politicians... why can't game developers do it too?

 

[Raytrace3D]

Alpha 3.3 is a BLAST! I LOVE IT! The Hammerhead is a lot of fun and Object Container Streaming has doubled frame-rates in game. They are doing a great job developing this beast!

 

[davislane1]

Tesla of Games?

You can actually drive a Tesla though. Or get a real power block installed in your home. The charging stations are real, too.

This is more akin to a really expensive magic show.

 

[wiyosaya]

Tesla of Games?

Tesla has a working product, CIG doesn't

Tesla of Games?

You can actually drive a Tesla though. Or get a real power block installed in your home. The charging stations are real, too.

This is more akin to a really expensive magic show.

Says those who do not even have the game.

 

[erickmendes]

Says those who do not even have the game.

I have nothing against the game, I just hope people don't lose their money if it turn the next Duke Nuken Forever.

 

[Raytrace3D]

I have nothing against the game, I just hope people don't lose their money if it turn the next Duke Nuken Forever.

This is very much like any other "investment". Anyone who contributes must be willing to lose it, just like someone who walks into a casino thinking they'll walk out a winner.
Hopefully those who have contributed realize this (I'm in well over a grand, but could care less if it's lost... it's just money and no one died).
Though I absolutely agree with you that it would be very unfortunate if this game didn't reach its full potential (and hopefully soon - Squadron 42 looks amazing).
That said, having been with this game since just after the beginning, seeing the monumental progress being made and following the opening development videos/articles/test forums and being a part of alpha testing pre-public testing, I have no doubts this will be an epic game... even if it takes another 10 years (but I feel like it's more like 2-3 years). I've been a software developer with game industry experience and to know what some of the things they are trying to do (and doing), it's extremely impressive. The stuff you can do in this game literally does not exist in any other game and the immersion is awesome. I already feel like whatever I've spent on this game was well paid for already just playing it with friends. It's a blast! I wish everyone would give it a try. Seriously, it has sooooooo much potential and every day it gets better and better.

 

[That Dude There]

Alpha 3.3 is a BLAST! I LOVE IT! The Hammerhead is a lot of fun and Object Container Streaming has doubled frame-rates in game. They are doing a great job developing this beast!

Is this your initial 5 minute opinion...or have you actually played it?

 

[Raytrace3D]

Is this your initial 5 minute opinion...or have you actually played it?

Please see post above your post for a longer answer. In short, though no. I've been an active backer for a number of years.

 

[psycros]

So THAT'S how they wasted all their money - putting real, well-known and (in some cases) EXPENSIVE actors into their game. Yeah, that's TOTALLY what the fans wanted. Its Wing Commander III all over again.

 

[PcePce]

A massive disappointment approaches~

 

[Theinsanegamer]

I have nothing against the game, I just hope people don't lose their money if it turn the next Duke Nuken Forever.

This is very much like any other "investment". Anyone who contributes must be willing to lose it, just like someone who walks into a casino thinking they'll walk out a winner.
Hopefully those who have contributed realize this (I'm in well over a grand, but could care less if it's lost... it's just money and no one died).
Though I absolutely agree with you that it would be very unfortunate if this game didn't reach its full potential (and hopefully soon - Squadron 42 looks amazing).
That said, having been with this game since just after the beginning, seeing the monumental progress being made and following the opening development videos/articles/test forums and being a part of alpha testing pre-public testing, I have no doubts this will be an epic game... even if it takes another 10 years (but I feel like it's more like 2-3 years). I've been a software developer with game industry experience and to know what some of the things they are trying to do (and doing), it's extremely impressive. The stuff you can do in this game literally does not exist in any other game and the immersion is awesome. I already feel like whatever I've spent on this game was well paid for already just playing it with friends. It's a blast! I wish everyone would give it a try. Seriously, it has sooooooo much potential and every day it gets better and better.

Why would I give a try to a game that has chewed through more money then GTA V, is still in an alpha state despite being 3 years past it's launch date, is overwhelmed with feature creep, wastes money on hollywood talent instead of finishing the game, and comes up with one way after another for buyers to invest more money in the title? You said it yourself, you hope squadron 42 is amazing, it was supposed to release 2 YEARS ago, and its still not done, yet chris roberts always finds ways to make more money from selling in game items, or land, ece. 42 was funded back in 2014 yet it still isnt done, really makes you think.

That is no better then micro-transaction laden smartphone games, and those dont have a price of entry attached to them.

I'm sorry, but I have better things to do then wait for Chris Roberts to finally crap on the faces of his fans with a half baked, stitched together mess of a game. He is just like peter molyneux, great ideas and ambition but needs someone tightly holding his leash to get anything accomplished. He has been running free on star citizen, and it shows.

The biggest nagging question is this: Freespace 2 is just $10 on GOG, and has enough total conversion mods to last to the end of time. For $75 you can buy the entirety of X3 and all of its expansions from GoG. Why is star citizen, in its continuous alpha state, worthy of a purchase?

 

[Raytrace3D]

Why would I give a try to a game that has chewed through more money then GTA V, is still in an alpha state despite being 3 years past it's launch date, is overwhelmed with feature creep, wastes money on hollywood talent instead of finishing the game, and comes up with one way after another for buyers to invest more money in the title? You said it yourself, you hope squadron 42 is amazing, it was supposed to release 2 YEARS ago, and its still not done, yet chris roberts always finds ways to make more money from selling in game items, or land, ece. 42 was funded back in 2014 yet it still isnt done, really makes you think.

That is no better then micro-transaction laden smartphone games, and those dont have a price of entry attached to them.

I'm sorry, but I have better things to do then wait for Chris Roberts to finally crap on the faces of his fans with a half baked, stitched together mess of a game. He is just like peter molyneux, great ideas and ambition but needs someone tightly holding his leash to get anything accomplished. He has been running free on star citizen, and it shows.

The biggest nagging question is this: Freespace 2 is just $10 on GOG, and has enough total conversion mods to last to the end of time. For $75 you can buy the entirety of X3 and all of its expansions from GoG. Why is star citizen, in its continuous alpha state, worthy of a purchase?

This game clearly isn't for everyone. Being late though shouldn't disqualify it from being a good game. They want to make sure it's done properly and not simply done for the sake of being done. That involves being patience... no one is going to die because a video game (note that it's just a video game) came out later than it was anticipated.

This game is not like GTA in it's scale - nothing is. It's much, much bigger than anything that has come before it. It incorporated technology that has never been done until now so that it can achieve that purpose. So you're argument is if it exceeds that of a GTA budget and not out of alpha yet, than it's a failure? These two games have very little in common with each other and so naturally they won't have the same budgets nor development timelines.

Don't get me wrong, you do have some good arguments. The original launch date estimate was WAY off and this is of course a sticking point with many people - especially the backers who were given a promise about the date. SIG has offered refunds to any backers who were misled to believe this should have been completed a long while ago, but that's little reassurance to anyone. I believe they missed their target window when they expanded their features and goals. Chris Roberts himself admitted that much and stated that due to the expanded budget (earning way more than they ever expected from backers), that they tacked on a lot more to their to-do list. This is, in my opinion, where CIG was in the wrong. They should have stuck to their original plan (and promise). That said, I don't feel like they are wasting my money. They have 5 studios working hard on what is far more than I could hope for in a game. They provide good transparency about their internal projects and their milestones. All blockers are now completed.

I use to work for a major game developer / publisher and our development cycle was 3-5 years (when fully staffed with over 120 developers and artists working). Making something that no one else has ever attempted to achieve takes a lot longer time. I chuckle when I see people complain about how development should take XYZ time when they have no idea how hard it is (especially when taking risks). CIG isn't Rockstar or EA or any other game studio. They face their own challenges, one of them being, ambition. They want to make something that no one else ever has. Are they accomplishing that, I would say yes. If it takes them another 2, 5 or 10 years to accomplish that, I can wait. I want the same thing Chris Roberts wants: The Best Damn Space Sim Ever.

 

[OutlawCecil]

Lol @ people still calling it a scam. Its a playable game right now, not to mention tons of in-game footage that's beautiful. It's waaaaaay past the estimated release date but they've clearly worked hard on it for it to be nothing but a scam.

 

[wiyosaya]

<...> (I'm in well over a grand, but could care less if it's lost... it's just money and no one died)<...> It's a blast! I wish everyone would give it a try. Seriously, it has sooooooo much potential and every day it gets better and better.

With the satisfaction that you express at your level of investment, I can only imagine some of the satisfaction of those who went with the lowest-level package at $45.00. Heck, all it would take for them is to join an in-game organization, make some friends, and they could be a crew member on one of those expensive ships - and that is one of those features that, IIRC, no other current game has.

I have nothing against the game, I just hope people don't lose their money if it turn the next Duke Nuken Forever.

Everyone in for the ride right now knows the risks and anyone who decides to invest now also knows the risks.

 

[Raytrace3D]

With the satisfaction that you express at your level of investment, I can only imagine some of the satisfaction of those who went with the lowest-level package at $45.00. Heck, all it would take for them is to join an in-game organization, make some friends, and they could be a crew member on one of those expensive ships - and that is one of those features that, IIRC, no other current game has.

Everyone in for the ride right now knows the risks and anyone who decides to invest now also knows the risks.

Yeah, totally agree. I've purchased game packages for others in the past so that they might join me on some of my larger adventures. Many of my ships are multi-crew and no way I can possibly enjoy the game as much without having others join me. With the latest update they released to the PTU the Hammerhead, a ship I invested in last November. It's been nearly a year and I was finally able to fly it (and use it's many turrets!) this past week. Even though the ship is currently buggy as all get out and needs some work, it's a lot of fun with friends.

This game is definitely not for the casual gamer (yet), but for those with a little bit of imagination, patience and friends (for teaming up with), this game is very fun. The level of immersion is outstanding. I know if someone never chooses to play it, their view from the outside looking at this game is going to be "that game is a scam", but when you play it, truly play it, it's a completely different story. I recommend to anyone curious about this game, just jump on YouTube and watch the live streams to get a feel for it.

 

[PcePce]

Everyone in for the ride right now knows the risks and anyone who decides to invest now also knows the risks.

Whoa, a mind-reader

 

[davislane1]

Lol @ people still calling it a scam. Its a playable game right now, not to mention tons of in-game footage that's beautiful. It's waaaaaay past the estimated release date but they've clearly worked hard on it for it to be nothing but a scam.

Money hole? Check.

Sliding deadlines? Check.

Lawsuits? Check.

Secrecy? Check.

Customers who decry skepticism as foolishness? Check.

It's a scam. The people who've been taken just don't know it yet.

 

[captaincranky]

...[ ]....Everyone in for the ride right now knows the risks and anyone who decides to invest now also knows the risks.

Whoa, a mind-reader

I'm going to say he's a pretty darn accurate profiler.

As for "Star Citizen" the Magic 8 Ball says: