SPACE VAPOUR: Since his Wing Commander days, Chris Roberts has always been one of the most ambitious game designers in the industry. Thanks to Star Citizen's undeniable crowdfunding popularity, he may have created one of the most successful games in history – without spending a dime of his own money, or even delivering a finished product yet.
Just one year after reaching $800 million in its unrelenting funding spree, Star Citizen has now crossed yet another significant milestone. The overly ambitious space trading and combat simulator, developed by Cloud Imperium Games, has officially raised more than $1 billion from enthusiasts and early backers. Game director Chris Roberts, meanwhile, is still talking about stretch goals and plans to add more content to his unfinished gaming universe.
Star Citizen's funding tracker currently lists 6,547,075 backers who have "donated" hundreds of millions of dollars since 2012. CIG states that the game's scope is determined directly by backer support, meaning more money funds more in-game content. The crowdfunding campaign started in December 2012, though CIG stopped publishing additional stretch goals after earning more than $65 million, a couple of years later.
