For quite a few years now, Cloud Imperium Games have been crowdfunding the development of their multi-faceted space-faring game Star Citizen, which as of writing has seen the company amass a significant sum of 125.7 million dollars since 2012. This is accomplished through the sale of different in-game ships and in-game ship/game packages. While a copy of both Star Citizen’s Persistent Universe and Squadron 42 single-player campaign with either an Aurora MR or Mustang Alpha starter ship will set you back $60.00 USD (and is all you will need to begin playing the game when it launches in the future) – standalone ships, game packages and ship packages can set one back anywhere from $20.00 USD to many thousand dollars. Some may raise an eyebrow at these figures, but quite a few gamers seem to be willing to spend this money on the dream of renown video game director Chris Roberts.
Every year in October, Cloud Imperium Games unite their fans together both in-person and online for the annual CitizenCon. While it is expected that they will show off their work on the wider Star Citizen Persistent Universe module, and quite likely both the Star Marine and Squadron 42 modules, there are still a few days to go until we get a proper look at whats in store. But we do know one thing… what their upcoming ship concept sale will cover. And boy… is it a pricey one.
Every so often, Cloud Imperium Games hold a “Concept Sale” for Star Citizen. This usually provides a solid cash injection for the game, with players able to pledge towards a ship – often with some perks in return. These perks can include Lifetime Insurance (Meaning they will not have to pay a supposedly minimal extra amount of UEC in-game to insure the ship’s hull), hangar flair and a discount off the full price which can vary considerably from ship to ship. While concept sales can cover anything from a cheap ship to a somewhat pricier ship… for CitizenCon, they have decided to hold a concept sale for the large and expensive Roberts Space Industries (RSI) Polaris.
The Polaris is a corvette-class capital ship which will come in at $750.00 USD when it enters concept sale in a few days time. Seemingly focused more towards those who like firepower, this ship comes equipped with a full armament of turrets and torpedoes. They claim that this ship is intended to be used in the persistent universe as a “naval patrol ship” and to “serve as the flagship of militia operations”, with the capacity to “perform search and rescue operations, light strike missions and general security patrols”.
We are likely to hear more about this ship during the major CitizenCon livestream in a couple of days time. Select backers have access to a pre-sale which comes at a discount and includes a free ship brochure. However as a PSA to those who do have access to the pre-sale and are thinking of getting it…. DON’T MELT ANY OF YOUR CURRENT SHIPS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE SALE. While the full price model is set to support store credit, you are only able to use real money for the discounted version.
For the last few years, Star Citizen has been continuously crowdfunding through the sale of game packages, in-game ships and other items. It has currently raised more than $123 million. As the game stands at the moment, it is currently in its alpha phase, and it is currently unknown when the Persistent Universe module will actually launch in its final form. The game’s campaign module – Squadron 42 – on the other hand has previously been listed by CIG for a release later this year. Time will tell if this happens. Just be aware that you are pledging towards an unfinished game at the moment, and like most crowdfunding campaigns, the usual risks apply in doing so.
A nicely written, unbiased and fair article. As an SC backer this gives me hope for game journalism. Kudos to the author of this material.