Cloud Imperium Games, the maker of Star Citizen, recently made the news for another crowdfunding milestone. The game has already amassed over $600 million in donations from backers.

While Star Citizen, which has been in development for the last ten years seems fine on the outside, a former employee paints a different picture within the studio. The ex-employee going by the username Ryden-55 on Reddit shared a post about their experience within Cloud Imperium and their thoughts on Star Citizen and Squadron 42. While praising the talent of the developers working on the game, the user shared struggles within the studio regarding its vision for Star Citizen.

According to the post, the former employee shared their experience of being personally doxed by a certain individual, accused of leaking information about the project, and threatened with waterboarding. The user expressed frustration about needing to put up with the harassment and being belittled by others because they work for CIG.

The former employee also shared that the studio may have miscalculated the game's trajectory and player spending for the year and beyond. The developer should focus on minimizing progress resets, delivering complete features, and in communicating with players on the future of the game.

The post shed light on how Cloud Imperium has been spending the crowdfunding money. According to the user, the studio has over-invested in offices and aesthetics rather than hiring additional staff members. Some of the wall art and office furniture are reportedly equal to the salaries of multiple employees. The studio spent money on furnishings even when it implemented a hiring freeze.

The user thinks that the studio needs to generate additional cash for the project. If players start to cut back on spending, there will be repercussions on the game. However, the user refused to give specific recommendations out of fear that it may affect friends still employed by CIG.

The author reportedly made suggestions to place a price ceiling on ships based on their capabilities. Unfortunately, the studio implemented a price hike instead as it believed that "people will buy it."

The former employee suggested the studio should "deliver key gameplay improvements going forward that encourage players to play and return, rather than trying to drip-feed concepts to people who may never fly them."

The ex-employee was laid off from the company and they said that the studio may be implementing sweeping layoffs. The user did clarify that the post was not meant to stir controversy within Cloud Imperium Games. The author revealed that they loved their stay at the company because of the people working there.