During its tenure on the crowdfunding scene, Star Citizen has quickly become one of the most ambitious and highly-anticipated games coming to PC, promising an extensive and immersive sci-fi world to explore. Unfortunately, the game has been in production for years and there's no inclination it will be completed anytime soon, with Cloud Imperium Games CEO Chris Robert recently having to reassure fans that the title isn't a "pipe dream."
However, it seems the game's long development cycle hasn't dissuaded players from continuing to invest in the upcoming experience, with Star Citizen recently smashing two new crowdfunding milestones. The first accolade was discovered through the game's annual earnings for 2020, with the title amassing over $30 million more than what it made in 2019.
According to a spreadsheet documenting Star Citizen's backer data, the company managed to pull in $47,735,514 back in 2019. As of 2020, the team has gone on to raise $78,991,728, well and truly proving that the upcoming title remains an exciting prospect for its millions of eager backers. Alongside breaking the impressive record, the studio's funding stats also reveal that it had reached another milestone, managing to amass over $340 million for Star Citizen overall. With the project originally launching on Kickstarter back in 2012, it seems the exciting potential of Cloud Imperium Games' limitless space adventure is continuing to lure aboard new backers.
For those who aren't caught up on what Star Citizen is and how it managed to raise so much in its near-decade-long crowdfunding venture, the concept behind the game is to deliver an extensive, massively multiplayer sci-fi universe. In this world, players take control of a custom-made avatar and are instantly allowed to traverse the world as they see fit, whether that be as a miner, a bounty hunter, or a trader. Over the years, the game has slowly grown more ambitious as fans have continued to pour funds into it, with a separate single-player mode titled Squadron 42 featuring Mark Hamill popping up alongside it.
While many are excited about Star Citizen's eventual full-release, the game has been criticized over the last few years, especially as reports released back in 2019 claimed the game had burned through its budget. Chris Roberts went on to address the growing frustrations from the Star Citizen fanbase last year, citing that he didn't want to "comprise its potential" by releasing it too early. Regardless, the game is seemingly still bringing in a lot of funding, so it'll be intriguing to see whether the end product stacks up to its lofty promises.
Star Citizen is currently in development for PC.