Cloud Imperium Games has delivered a long-awaited update by confirming that Squadron 42 has successfully integrated all its intended features. Although an official release date remains elusive – no surprise there – this significant development signals that the single-player campaign is swiftly advancing towards its much-anticipated launch, soon™.
Star Citizen first hit Kickstarter in 2012, and after going independent has received over $600 million in funding from backers.
One of the features promised for the space exploration MMO was Squadron 42, a standalone story campaign. The single-player campaign suffered multiple delays and some players have lost hope that it will ever be finished.
In the recently concluded CitizenCon, Cloud Imperium Games announced that Squadron 42 is now “feature-complete.” The standalone story mode will now enter a “polishing phase” to optimize the gameplay experience for players eagerly awaiting its release. Cloud Imperium even released a lengthy gameplay trailer which is honestly quite impressive.
“We are excited to announce that Squadron 42 is now feature-complete!” Cloud Imperium said. “As we move into the polishing phase, we’re fully focused on optimizing and fine-tuning all aspects of the gameplay experience to deliver an unprecedented cinematic adventure. To celebrate this milestone, we have gathered our core development leadership from around the globe to share what this means.”
Cloud Imperium founder Chris Roberts was present in the 26.5-minute gameplay trailer along with other members of the Squadron 42 development team. The devs showed off key features for the upcoming single-player mode and included cutscenes from famous actors Gillian Anderson, Mark Hamill, Gary Oldman, Mark Strong, John Rhys-Davies, and Liam Cunningham.
While Cloud Imperium did not give a definite release date for Squadron 42, having all the features needed for the standalone story is a step in the right direction. It may be a while before the single-player campaign gets released but the gameplay showcase does offer some promise.
None of this is new to Star Citizen backers, of course – they’ve been dealing with delays for a decade, and have had plenty of chance to play the game’s in-dev versions. Ship combat still looks smooth while first-person gunplay seems solid and rewarding. If the gameplay shown in the trailer makes it to the final release, Squadron 42 may give Starfield a run for its money.
Star Citizen is one of the most controversial titles of all time. Most of it is due to the fact that the game has been in development for over a decade now. The space exploration MMO has also been criticized for the price of the virtual space ships which range from $30 to hundreds of dollars. Many players have also wondered if the game would ever have a proper release.
For now, the progress of Squadron 42 is very promising. It may be something we will look to try out once it drops, which is hopefully soon.
