The development for Cloud Imperium Games' Star Citizen has been long and troubled to say the least, with some fans upset and considering the process bloated and poorly managed. While CIG has pulled in over $300 million for Star Citizen's development, the game has still never officially launched, remaining in the limbo of early access since all the way back in 2012.
As a result of this incredibly long development time, in which Star Citizen has repeatedly shifted focus from a more simple space-flight simulator to a full fledged AAA MMO, fans have grown upset over a lack of communication. One of the topics that's become especially heated among players is the release window of Squadron 42, the single-player adventure within the CIG's developed universe.
This animosity from the fans comes not only from Squadron 42 missing its original 2016 release date, but the very minor communication coming from CIG since the developer's last blog post in March. Fans of the game, looking to see any new information or a new roadmap for it, have taken to Reddit and the CIG forums to voice their concerns and frustrations. Since the latest update, Star Citizen has had free-to-play weeks, patch updates, and a steady stream of social media engagement, but little in the way of notes on development of either title.
The fan outrage eventually did prompt CIG to make a forum post on July 28th, in which the developer addresses the frustration of players, as well as making note of the last four monthly Squadron 42 reports. However, while CIG did claim that development is moving forward in a satisfying way to the development team, there is currently still no roadmap for the future of the game. So, as new content comes to Star Citizen, and the game continues to see new patches, players are still in the dark as to when either game will finally release.
Considering the lengthy development time, CIG has become a prime example for both sides of the arguments that surround early access. While many players have continued to enjoy the game since it first became playable, and have been happy to see it transition into the massive effort it has become, others just want an end to Star Citizen delays. This is the central conflict with the lack of a roadmap for Squadron 42, where the players' anticipation to actually play the game is what is causing the frustration, rather than any issues with the game itself.
Star Citizen and Squadron 42 are currently in development.
Source: Roberts Space Industries