Roberts Space Industries might be making more money than the GDP of most medium-sized nations, but Star Citizen creator Chris Roberts is adamant that all that cash is going into the game, and not the team’s pockets.
In an open letter on the developer’s website, Roberts explained why the company is continuing to seek funding despite the fact they’ve already made over $55 million.
”I sometimes get asked why continue to raise money,” he writes. ”Haven’t you already raised enough to make the game? The answer is that Star Citizen isn’t a normal game.”
Without a publisher to appease or big-money investors to keep happy, Roberts says that the development team can afford to pour a continuous stream of money into expanding the game. According to Roberts they’re not treating those huge reserves of cash earned as profit.
“I have a lot of industry friends pat me on the back and say, “Wow, it must be so great to be operating in profit even before you ship!” Their look usually turns to incredulity when I explain that my intention is for all the money we bring in before launch to be spent on development. It is the community, from the existing backers who continue to support the game, to new members who join every day who are setting the level of ambition and budget for Star Citizen.”
Without the extra funding coming in, Star Citizen would be missing several much-requested features. RSI has been able to increase its staff number to 280, and those new member are hard at work improving and adding to the game.
“If we had raised the original amount and no more, we wouldn’t be able to deliver involved capital ship systems or the level of FPS gameplay that we are now planning for planets in the Persistent Universe. Nor would have the time or budget to continually upgrade the game with new features like Physically Based Rendering (PBR), or continually strive to make the art assets better.”
Roberts says that there’s no pressure on anyone to pay more than the base price, but that the commitment shown by fans is what makes Star Citizen unique.
”That’s what Star Citizen is about: the creative freedom to build something unlike anything that has been done before and the ability to do it with the support of a community that is as passionate about this game as I am. We want to make the Best Damn Space Sim Ever, and with your continued support I know we will.”
Are you excited about Star Citizen? And what do you think about RSI continuing to seek extra funding despite smashing its original goal?
