Cloud Imperium Games’ sci-fi epic, Star Citizen, has been in development for well over a decade, with no end in sight. But despite the long wait, the project has just hit yet another crazy crowdfunding milestone. Star Citizen was first announced as a sprawling multiplayer universe, complete with space combat and interstellar trading. It was announced back in 2012 when the Kickstart campaign was launched, and it quickly broke the record for the highest amount ever crowdsourced when it hit $39,680,576.Article continues after ad Nearly 13 years later, the project remains in the early access alpha stage — a far cry from the initial 2014 launch that was targeted. But that hasn’t stopped millions of people from ploughing more money into the game, and it’s just hit another dizzying landmark. Star Citizen edges closer to the $1 billion milestone As of April 9, the crowdfunding for Star Citizen has officially surpassed the $800 million mark, with over 5.5 million different players contributing. This comes after it hit its last major milestone of $700 million in May of 2024. Article continues after ad This means that the long-awaited space sim remains one of the most expensive video games ever developed, despite not being backed by a publisher. Cloud Imperium Games But despite the record-breaking numbers, there is still no concrete release date to mark on the calendar. The paid alpha has been playable for many years at this point, but there is still no sign of a 1.0 version that delivers the original vision. In fact, the only part of the game that has a release window is Squadron 42 — the single-player spin-off starring huge names like Mark Hamill, Gillian Anderson, and Gary Oldman. The first gameplay of this portion was shown at CitizenCon 2024, where the devs explained they were aiming for a 2026 launch. RelatedArticle continues after ad However, despite being “feature complete” as of 2023, even Squadron 42 has been hit by multiple delays, so it remains to be seen if it will finally arrive next year. Given how much money has been pumped in and how long development has taken, Star Citizen has received plenty of criticism over the last decade or so, with Polygon even reporting that some players have asked for refunds. But with the $1 billion mark looming, it appears that the wait is far from over.Article continues after ad