According to the developer’s funding tracking tool, Cloud Imperium Games’ space-faring MMO has raised over $300 million in crowdfunding. The data reveals that a total of 2,713,600 people have pledged $300,774,260 since the Star Citizen Kickstarter campaign started way back in 2013.
The new figure solidifies Star Citizen’s position as by far the most lucrative crowdfunded video game in history. The $300 million budget means Star Citizen has a development budget larger than even the most well-financed AAA games from the biggest publishers in the industry.
For those out of the loop, pledges grant players in-game rewards in the form of ships, currency, and resources that ease their progress through the ever-expanding game. Numerous backers are known to have invested staggering sums, to the tune of $30,000 in some cases, to secure the most exclusive limited edition items and pledge their support for the long-in-development title. In general, the bulk of the funds come from smaller pledges, namely for the $45 starter back that grants players a single ship and other digital goodies.
The $300 million comes only six months after Star Citizen hit the already impressive $250 million milestone back in December last year, which itself was already an increase of $50 million on the $200 million raised by November 2018. In particular, the month of May 2020 saw players drop $15 million, presumably aided by the coronavirus lockdown measures and the launch of the 14-ship Drake Complete Pack 2950 bundle priced at $4,600.
Despite the milestone, there’s still no firm release date on the horizon for Star Citizen. A beta for the single-player standalone mode, Squadron 42, is due for release later this year. Cloud Imperium Games has already delayed the Mark Hamill and Gary Oldman voice-acted experience several times, so we can’t discount another postponement. Star Citizen has somewhat developed a reputation for successive delays to upcoming modules, so its nothing players won’t be accustomed to if they’ve backed the game for some time.