Former Star Citizen Developer Paints A Picture Of A Struggling Development Studio

A former Cloud Imperium Games developer has spoken out about his views on the studio’s management of Star Citizen’s development. The exposé comes hot on the heels of our report on the game’s total crowdfunding numbers and layoffs within the studio.

The anonymous developer, who reportedly worked on multiple gameplay systems for the sci-fi sim in the seven years that he was employed by the studio, revealed that CIG miscalculated its development trajectory and player spending this year and beyond. The studio is now reportedly being forced to come up with more ways to generate revenue in order to keep afloat.

He claims that players who purchase premium items and bundles are essentially just “propping up the project” and that sales directly affect the game’s development. This is allegedly the reason why the studio decided to hike ship prices up back in June, a move that resulted in massive backlash from the community.

The former employee believes that development funds are being misused to dress up the CIG’s new Manchester studio with overpriced items and decorations. “In my opinion, they have over-invested in the Manchester office they have just built,” he said. “They are more bothered about the wall art than they are about investing in additional staff.”

“I personally saw a hiring freeze whilst spending $$$’s on making the office look like a piece of space art,” he continued. “It’s fantastic to walk into, but as soon as I found out I was being laid off, I looked at everything differently. Some of the art was the same as my salary or multiple people’s salary.”

He also called attention to the studio’s inability to lock down release dates and suggested that having a full gameplay loop would go a long way towards securing additional funding for the game. He does note that his accounts are solely his opinion and that he is thankful for his time with the company and takes pride their work.

While his opinions might not be shared by other employees at Cloud Imperium Games, it does offer some insight into why development on Star Citizen has taken as long as it has and raises concerns about the future of the game and the studio.