Alpha Development
Ongoing coverage on Alpha Development.
Latest coverage
Star Citizen answers questions about changes to pledge gifting ahead of its rollout October 30
Cloud Imperium Games has announced that changes to Star Citizen's pledge gifting system will go live on October 30th. Recipients will need an RSI account, cannot use store credit for gifts, and only eligible items will have a selectable gift option. The article also touches on the ongoing development of Star Citizen and Squadron 42, noting the game's extensive crowdfunding history.
Star Citizen reruns its Day of the Vara Halloween event, heralds the arrival of new eyebrow options
Star Citizen has brought back its Halloween-themed Day of the Vara event with new ship paints, while also adding new eyebrow customization options and expanding contract missions. The game continues its long alpha development, having raised over $1 billion through crowdfunding since its 2012 Kickstarter, with the single-player title Squadron 42 also facing repeated delays.
Star Citizen 4.10.2 adds RSI Discovery Month event with reward-granting missions and a new ship to rent
Star Citizen has launched its 4.10.2 alpha build, introducing the RSI Discovery Month event. This event features defense, transport, and collection missions that award points towards unlocking various in-game rewards, including a rental of the Constellation Mk V Centaurus and its Skylark snub fighter. The update also includes shield rebalancing, physics networking overhaul, and experimental VR updates, while the game continues its long alpha development funded by over $1 billion in crowdfunding.
Star Citizen added another $8M to its coffers in the month of September
Cloud Imperium Games' Star Citizen generated $8 million in pledges during September, a 12% decrease from the previous year. This marks the second consecutive month of declining revenue compared to 2025, contributing to a small 1.3% overall revenue drop for the studio in the third quarter. The highly crowdfunded space simulator, which has raised over $1 billion since its 2012 Kickstarter, remains in alpha with its single-player component, Squadron 42, also facing delays.
Star Citizen readies new missions and weapons while its Pirate Week event returns
Star Citizen is celebrating its annual Pirate Week event, featuring in-game activities like treasure hunts and the return of Pirate Swarm mode in Arena Commander, alongside community contests and pirate-themed sales. Recent roadmap updates also detail upcoming missions for hauling, mining, and combat in alpha 4.10, and work on planet Nyx III and a new assault rifle for alpha 4.11, though the latter has been delayed to Q4.
Star Citizen kicks off a week-long free fly referral event, confirms new gear coming in alpha 4.10
Star Citizen is hosting a week-long "Foundation Festival" free fly event until August 10th, allowing new players to try out five different ships. A referral program offers in-game bonuses for both new and existing players who spend a minimum of $40. Additionally, Cloud Imperium Games has updated the release view for alpha 4.10, confirming new gear, weapons, ship improvements, and rebalancing.
Star Citizen has raised one billion dollars and it’s still in alpha
Cloud Imperium Games' Star Citizen has raised one billion dollars through crowdfunding, over a decade after its initial launch in 2012. Despite remaining in alpha with persistent bugs and performance issues, the game has attracted over six million registered players. The studio anticipates the single-player campaign Squadron 42 in 2026, with the full multiplayer version potentially arriving in 2027 or 2028.
Star Citizen hypes its May 14 DefenseCon event and alpha 4.8 content, confirms no CitizenCon this year
Cloud Imperium Games is hyping its upcoming DefenseCon event, scheduled from May 14th to 27th, which will replace Invictus Launch Week and allow players to rent various spacecraft. The game's alpha 4.8 update, expected next week, will introduce multiplayer tactical strike groups and other features. CitizenCon will not be held this year as the studio focuses on updates and the eventual release of Squadron 42.