Greetings ONE MILLION CITIZENS! On the set of Squadron 42 If there was ever a milestone that deserved a letter to the community it was this. When I first started on this adventure I would have never dreamed that we would ever this many people and this much support in building Star Citizen. It’s amazing to have a community and team that believe so fervently in what is being built… Say it loud: PC games are back, space combat games are back… we are making Star Citizen possible!
We’ve put a great deal of thought into what would be an appropriate update to celebrate this milestone. But wait! Before we continue, it seems there’s an urgent comm-link coming through…
Thank you, Admiral!
It goes without saying that it was the thrill of a lifetime to work with Gary Oldman and the rest of our amazing cast. I have certainly had a hard time keeping quiet about that work these past few months; everyone on the team has wanted to shout it from the rooftops. The quality of Squadron 42’s principal cast is another testament to the community: you have supported us with such passion and given us the room to create a universe that has attracted top talent, eager to explore the cutting edge of story and games… that’s not something that happens every day!
As I was saying before I was interrupted: one million Citizens! The stars of this game aren’t all Hollywood actors or big name game developers… they’re those you who are making the game possible in the first place. Our one millionth Citizen is Edenstar. Appropriately, he, like so many of you, were introduced to Star Citizen by a friend who was passionate about the game… in fact, he says he joined because he was worried he wasn’t going to see his friends anymore after the game launches! I’ve said many times that backers are our best marketing, and here’s some pretty solid proof! Edenstar, Pikes-zen, we’re going to go ahead and give you each a brand new Sabre to explore the ‘Verse with. Enjoy!
In honor of our newest Citizen (really, our thousands of new Citizens!) we would like to give something back to the entire community for all your incredible support. Starting today, we are eliminating ‘Alpha Access’ and the $5 module passes. Anyone who has pledged for a Star Citizen Package can now play today without worrying they won’t have access to some portion of the ‘Verse in the future. No Star Marine pass, no Alpha 2.0 pass… no additional payment needed for any module in the works, pre-release. Going forward, should we need to put out some sort of limited release it will be done through the PTU test server. All backers will have access to any live release, the moment it publishes.
In addition, I’d like to reward our earliest supporters who made it possible to get to this point. Everyone with an ‘alpha access’ package will be awarded 10,000 UEC; everyone who purchased an Arena Commander pass individually will be given 5,000 UEC (with the cap raising appropriately to allow this.) You also have my most sincere thanks: you were our vanguard, the battalion that fought the good fight from the beginning. Your impact on Star Citizen will never be forgotten, for without your early faith we couldn’t be where we are today. (Please note that this credit payout is going to take a big script, so it may take Turbulent a few days to work out the logistics!)
It goes without saying that I’m proud of the incredible community that has come together to support Star Citizen to this point, and I’m so excited to watch and take part as you grow, evolve and change as we approach the finish line. Whether you were an Early Backer, a Veteran Backer, someone who joined yesterday or even one of the ‘Magnificent Seven’… we are all Star Citizens today, equal and with the same thing owed to us: the Best Damn Space Simulator Ever.
Knowing that one million people (and growing!) are counting on us will only further fuel our desire to deliver. Every member of the Star Citizen team already knows that we work for the backers… and reaching one million is just another reminder why we are giving this project all of ourselves. Right now that’s getting Star Citizen Alpha 2.0 in shape to share with all of you in the near future, and we’re in the process of closing down Star Marine as well.
Until then, the team and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts in making this possible. Star Citizen lives by the support it receives from the community, and that support has been loud and clear over these past three years. As I look around at artists, designers and engineers prepping Constellations and Retaliators for their multi-crew launch, I can say with certainty: I will see you very soon… in the ‘Verse!
— Chris Roberts