When Cloud Imperium Games delayed the FPS module "indefinitely" and the departure of executive producer Alex Mayberry concerns were raised over the development of Star Citizen - a game that to date has raised in excess of $85 million in crowdfunds. Founder Chris Roberts took the opportunity to address these concerns in his latest "Letter from the Chairman".
"It seems some gaming outlets got a little confused with my last FPS letter, which was no different to the one that we did back in May to let people know where we were on Star Marine / the FPS module. As you all know we are shy of announcing firm dates for module releases until they are in the Public Test Universe (PTU) as it's hard to predict exact dates in open development, especially in the stages that still involve R&D, unless you build in large time buffers. We have been burned by this multiple times before so I have heeded all your wishes to not give out dates until we are sure. Perhaps we stressed the point a little too strongly as suddenly gaming websites were running with the headline, "Star Citizen FPS delayed indefinitely!" which was unfortunate as this phrase is usually a euphemism for a project being put on indefinite hold or canceled.
Don't worry, it's not! We're hard at work on the FPS - as you can see from our update on Friday - and you will have it in your hands sooner rather than later."
Roberts also addressed the nature of Cloud Imperium Games' turnover and open development style:
"With a company the size of CIG and its subsidiaries there is always going to be turnover. We are a very large company now, dedicated entirely to making Star Citizen and Squadron 42. We have four development studios: Los Angeles, Austin, Wilmslow, UK and Frankfurt, Germany. Our internal headcount has gone from five at the end of 2012 to 59 at the end of 2013 to 183 at the end of 2014 and to 255 now. That's some pretty huge growth. The turnover at CIG is no more or less than it was at Origin, EA, Digital Anvil or Microsoft when I was making games there. The difference is that since we conduct our development in an open manner people get the opportunity to know some of the individuals working on the game, in a way you wouldn't with a normal publisher, so a departure becomes more noticeable. Sometimes an employee may get an opportunity to go elsewhere in a role they feel will be more rewarding personally. Sometimes our breakneck pace of development is too much, or sometimes people just want to make a change for personal reasons."
Roberts also took the opportunity to explained how the scope of the game had grown and how the sheer size of the project while perceived by some as a problem is also what Star Citizen is all about.
"Star Citizen matters BECAUSE it is big, because it is a bold dream. It is something everyone else is scared to try. You didn't back Star Citizen because you want what you've seen before. You're here and reading this because we are willing to go big, to do the things that terrify publishers. You've trusted us with your money so we can build a game, not line our pockets. And we sure as hell didn't run this campaign so we could put that money in the bank, guarantee ourselves a profit and turn out some flimsy replica of a game I've made before. You went all in supporting us and we've gone all in making the game. Is Star Citizen today a bigger goal than I imagined in 2012? Absolutely. Is that a bad thing? Absolutely not: it's the whole damn point."