In-development space sim Star Citizen announces that its newest Free Fly event is live, giving anyone a chance to play the game while it's still in its ninth year of production for free. Star Citizen has been in alpha since 2015 and doesn't seem like it will exit it anytime soon, despite the game entering production the better part of a decade ago. Still, the ambitious project is in a playable state, so new players can rest assured they won't be playing a rough build of the game.
Despite never having actually released, Star Citizen recently broke $350 million in revenue. Developer Cloud Imperium Games' protracted crowdfunding campaign has helped keep the lights and servers on over the last decade and allowed the team to greatly expand since it's 2012 founding, but there's still no release date in sight. Although there's still some interest in the game, many are starting to wonder if the game will actually ever even release, especially after missing several key milestones - including multiple missed release dates for Squadron 42, Star Citizen's single-player complement.
Now, Star Citizen is looking to attract newcomers with a new Free Fly week, and it's live now. The game will be free-to-play until June 3, and a plethora of ships and content will be available to everyone at no cost. This includes vessels to fly, in-game events, and more, so it'll likely make quite the impression on new players. Free Fly events for Star Citizen are a semi-regular affair that usually accompany major Cloud Imperium announcements and updates, and they're never unwelcome to the many people curious about the game but put off by its complexity and development troubles.
Star Citizen could still have major potential to shake up the space sim genre when or if it does release, but when that could possibly be is anyone's guess. Like all studios, Cloud Imperium was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was also partially victim to 2021's rather devastating Texas snowstorm. The natural disaster effected many employees' ability to work due to the state of their homes, and it's reported Cloud Imperium management reportedly mistreated affected staffers.
The current roadmap for Star Citizen is a bit of a mystery, leaving many to wonder what happens if it never releases or is canceled outright. Although many games get axed after even years in production, Star Citizen is backed by hundreds of millions of crowdfunded dollars. If it doesn't release or goes under, not only would tons of developer time have been wasted, but a mob of paying fans will suddenly be left with no product for all their money invested. Whether or not the game is anywhere close to completion remains to be seen, but at least Star Citizen is playable for players who want to try it out for free.
Source: Roberts Space Industries