Star Citizen Unveils Game-Changing Squadron 42 Update
Star Citizen's highly anticipated single-player campaign, Squadron 42, took center stage at CitizenCon 2023 with an extensive and groundbreaking update, bringing us closer than ever to its long-awaited release
Highlights
Squadron 42, the single-player component of Star Citizen, is entering its final stages of development according to a deep dive video released at CitizenCon.
Having raised over $500 million through crowdfunding, Star Citizen holds the record as the most financially extensive video game project to date. Boasting a cast of renowned stars and a grandiose vision, it aims to push boundaries in the gaming industry.
Despite facing substantial delays, Squadron 42 showed promising signs in its recent in-depth presentation. Notably, the gameplay and visuals displayed notable improvements, suggesting that it is steadily progressing towards fulfilling its ambitious promises.
Squadron 42 is the single-player component of Star Citizen, which was recently showcased at CitizenCon. The game has undergone significant development and is now in its final stages. Star Citizen itself has gained attention for its ambitious features and continuous updates. Despite its long development time and over $500 million raised through crowdfunding, it remains the most expensive video game project ever. This funding has been used to create an impressive single-player campaign, featuring renowned Hollywood actors such as Gary Oldman, Jillian Anderson, and Mark Hamill.
While initially slated for a 2014 release, Squadron 42, the spinoff of Star Citizen, has faced numerous delays throughout the years, leaving many players uncertain about its eventual arrival. However, at this year's CitizenCon, Chris Roberts and Cloud Imperium Games provided fans with a significant insight into the development of Squadron 42. An official 20-minute deep dive was unveiled, showcasing everything from captivating cutscenes to immersive gameplay. The latest preview demonstrates that Squadron 42 has significantly evolved and become a more polished title than its last glimpse, albeit without a confirmed release date.
Chris Roberts has confirmed that the development of Squadron 42 is currently in the polishing phase. The team is now focusing on optimizing and fine-tuning the numerous features of the game. It is difficult to predict how long this phase will take, so players should not expect the release of Squadron 42 anytime soon. Despite this, fans are excited about the gameplay improvements, particularly the gunplay and ship battles. When compared to the static space combat and exploration in Starfield, Squadron 42 appears to be dynamic and impressive.
However, the gaming community remains cautious about the Star Citizen brand. Although groundbreaking technology such as Star Citizen's Persistent Entity Streaming has been implemented, the game has been in perpetual Alpha since 2015. While it may still take several more years for Star Citizen to have a release date, the developers have made progress with Squadron 42, bringing them closer to delivering the promised experience to Kickstarter backers who supported the project over a decade ago.
Star Citizen and Squadron 42 are in development for PC.
