History
Squadron 42 development history
Checked 2026-10-17
Squadron 42 was announced in 2012. Its changing targets, the 2017 vertical slice, and later presentations are separate milestones, not release dates that were met.
This timeline distinguishes the original Kickstarter campaign total from funding for the wider Star Citizen project. Official campaign and production pages support the rows where available; early release targets are attributed to the secondary wiki history. None establishes a standalone Squadron 42 budget.
Development timeline
| When | What was said | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 2012-10-10 | Announced with Star Citizen | Star Citizen Wiki |
| 2012-11-19 | Kickstarter closed: $2,134,374 pledged by 34,397 backers | Official Kickstarter campaign; not combined crowdfunding |
| 2014 target | Original planned release, not an actual launch | Wiki release history (secondary) |
| 2015-01 | Fall 2015 target discussed at BAFTA LA | Wiki release history (secondary) |
| 2016 CitizenCon | Delay confirmed after Answer the Call | Wiki release history |
| 2017-12-22 | Public vertical slice; over an hour of gameplay | Holiday Special and December 2017 studio report |
| 2020-12 | Letter declined to discuss finish or release dates | Wiki release history (secondary) |
| 2023-10-22 | CitizenCon 2953: feature-complete | Wiki + I Held The Line |
| 2024-10 | CitizenCon 2954 gameplay reveal, 2026 window | Chairman letter |
| 2026-08-27 | Window moved to Q2 2027 | Chairman letter |
| 2026-10-10 | Steam page and The Oath trailer | Steam app 4045720 |
Money and staff, without a fake split
The 27 August 2026 letter says crowdfunding had reached $1 billion, and that outside CTG there were a further 611 development staff across four studios, split about 50/50 between Star Citizen and Squadron 42. That is a headcount, not a dollar budget for this game.
The Kickstarter campaign itself closed on 19 November 2012 with $2,134,374 from 34,397 backers. That is the Kickstarter channel, not combined funding through Kickstarter and the RSI site. Neither the campaign total nor later Star Citizen crowdfunding totals are an itemized Squadron 42 production budget.
The official December 2017 studio report was published on 11 January 2018 and dates the vertical-slice presentation to 22 December 2017. Its publication date should not be confused with the gameplay event date.
Questions I keep getting
What was the original Squadron 42 date?
The wiki records a 2014 target, a fall 2015 line from BAFTA LA, and later slips. None of those is the current window.
How much did Squadron 42 cost to make?
The cited sources do not publish an itemized Squadron 42 budget. Project crowdfunding and studio staffing are not the campaign production cost.
Sources I used
- Letter From The Chairman, 27 August 2026 — Q2 2027 window chosen instead of a late-2026 launch beside GTA 6.
- Official Star Citizen Kickstarter campaign — Campaign ended 19 November 2012: $2,134,374 pledged, 34,397 backers. Kickstarter channel only.
- Star Citizen Wiki: Release date — Secondary history of early targets, the 2016 delay and the 2020 letter.
- RSI: Holiday Special — Official 22 December 2017 presentation.
- RSI: Monthly Studio Report, December 2017 — Published 11 January 2018; confirms the 22 December 2017 vertical slice and production context.
- Star Citizen: I Held The Line — Official feature-complete presentation, published 22 October 2023.