Star Citizen crowdfunding passes $750M

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Scale of Funding and Financials

  • Commenters are struck by the size of crowdfunding: ~$750M from ~5M “backers,” with some skepticism because numbers are self‑reported, but UK filings and VAT treatment suggest it’s real commercial revenue.
  • Estimates place total revenue (including subs/investors) perhaps near $900M, while revenue in 2022 was ~$50M, and burn is >$100M/year on headcount; recent layoffs are linked to burn > cashflow.
  • Several note this budget exceeds or rivals AAA titles (GTA V, RDR2, Cyberpunk 2077), yet Star Citizen remains unfinished.

Game State and Playability

  • Players describe it as technically playable, visually impressive, and at times very fun, but also extremely buggy, crash‑prone, and unstable.
  • It’s compared to an endlessly evolving early‑access title, with “next gen” feel but frequent basic bugs (elevators, doors, clipping).
  • Some say it already functions as a niche live game; others insist it’s still a “glorified tech demo.”

Ambition, Scope Creep, and Management

  • Many see excessive ambition and repeated reworks (tech v3/v4, long‑promised features like server meshing) as core issues.
  • Scope creep is frequently blamed; reportedly, the community often voted for more features, and only recently has leadership started cutting scope and targeting a 1.0 release.
  • Comparisons are made to infamous long‑running projects (Daikatana, Duke Nukem Forever).

Scam vs Mismanaged Passion Project

  • Opinions split:
    • One camp calls it a borderline scam or indistinguishable from one, citing endless delays and focus on selling ships.
    • Another camp argues it’s a genuine but mismanaged passion project, not intentional fraud, with real ongoing development and shipped code.

Monetization and “Whales”

  • Crowdfunding now effectively functions as ongoing DLC/microtransaction revenue, especially high‑priced ships and bundles (sometimes thousands of dollars).
  • Many point out this relies on “whales” and collecting impulses; some see it as exploitative but note this pattern across gaming and other digital goods.

Expectations and Inevitable Disappointment

  • Several argue that with this much money and time, expectations are impossibly high; even a good game may be judged a failure.
  • Some early backers are content treating their small pledge as sunk cost, enjoying the “development story” or waiting mainly for Squadron 42.