Chris Roberts talks Star Citizen’s long dev time and Squadron 42 progress in a rare interview

Cloud Imperium Games boss Chris Roberts popped up for a relatively rare interview this week, sitting down with YouTube channel Back Pocket while he was in Australia on February 20. The edited segment runs about 10 minutes and mostly focuses on the elephant in the room: Star Citizen’s very long development, the money it’s raised, and why neither Star Citizen 1.0 nor Squadron 42 has a release date.

According to the interview video, Roberts points to tech and tooling as a big reason things have taken so long, saying there wasn’t an off-the-shelf engine setup that could support what he wanted. He also says ongoing expansion of the feature set and game world has added work, especially when those systems have to keep functioning together in a live, playable alpha.

On the funding side, Roberts addresses the near-$1B figure and the way the project is perceived online, arguing that the game being playable undercuts claims that it’s a scam. He also frames the skepticism as partly a byproduct of visibility, since Star Citizen has become such a high-profile crowdfunding case.

He doesn’t put any dates on the calendar. The most specific comment is that Squadron 42 is “in the process of finishing off now.” For Star Citizen, he again points to a defined list of features that would mark a 1.0-ready “full release” state, rather than offering a timeline.

Roberts also talks about his longer-term server ambitions, including the goal of very high player counts in a single shard, and tech he hopes will eventually allow a couple thousand players in one area. As usual with Star Citizen, it’s more explanation than roadmap.