Is Star Citizen a Bold-Faced $790M Scam? 4 Other Upcoming Games Also Hit by Disastrous Project Delays

It’s no secret that the gaming industry has hit a rough patch. Apart from mass layoffs, many highly-anticipated projects were doomed by delays. One such example is Cloud Imperium Games’ Star Citizen, a multiplayer, space trading and combat simulation game. Many games are hit by delays but Star Citizen? It is being labeled as a $790 million scam by gamers.

The game has been in development for the past 12 years and so far, there is no solid information about the game’s development. In fact, a recent report revealed that many employees working on Citizencon deliverables at Cloud Imperium Games were forced to work overtime this month. Despite spending close to $800 million, the studio is still looking for funding.

What Happened To Cloud Imperium Games’ Star Citizen?

Back in 2012, Star Citizen was announced via a private crowdfunding page, and subsequently, Cloud Imperium Games managed to gather $2 million on Kickstarter. The game’s production was in full swing and was expected to be released in 2014, however, the game was delayed. Cloud Imperium Games shared some information about the game but since 2015, they’ve kept everyone in the dark.

A recent report from Insider Gaming has revealed what is actually going on inside Cloud Imperium Games. The report has revealed that the employees working on Citizencon deliverables at Cloud Imperium Games were told on 1st October that they must work every day, including weekends, until October 19th, however, when legal issues were raised, the studio gave an option to the employees to take a leave on Sunday if they meet the minimum threshold of 56 hours.

Many employees believe that the studio needs a complete overhaul if it wishes to deliver Star Citizen. The $790 million project is a sinking ship that Cloud Imperium Games just can’t handle. The studio’s mismanagement of the funds has convinced everyone that this was a major scam.

Not just Cloud Imperium Games, but many video game publishers are struggling to meet the deadlines. Many highly-anticipated video games were delayed this year. Here’s a short recap.

The Russia-Ukraine War Delayed GSC World’s Stalker 2

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, or simply, Stalker 2 was GSC World’s first Stalker game in 15 years since the release of Call of Pripyat in 2009, however, the development of the game was halted due to the Russia-Ukraine war. A lot of its employees had to evacuate then a server fire destroyed an entire floor of its new Prague office. When the studio announced that the game would not be released in Russia, their servers were hacked.

Despite these setbacks, GSC World has confirmed that it is still working on the game. The project was delayed several times, but as of now, GSC World aims to release the game on 20th November 2024.

The Next Elder Scrolls Game Has Been In Development Since 2018

Some say that Bethesda announced the next Elder Scrolls games way too early as the game is still 2-3 years away. In 2018, it was revealed that the game entered the pre-production phase, and after the launch of Starfield, The Elder Scrolls VI became Bethesda’s priority as it entered the active production phase.

There are speculations that the game will be released in early 2026, but as of now, it seems like Bethesda hasn’t made a lot of progress as the studio is focused more on Starfield. So far, it is confirmed that the game is in development but it is still in a very early stage.

Gamers Doubt If GTA 6 Will Be Released In 2025

Rockstar Games shook the gaming industry when it dropped the first Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer back in December 2023. Since then, the trailer has garnered over 200 million views but that was it, Rockstar Games hasn’t released much information since the first trailer.

Due to all the silence, players are doubting if Rockstar Games will be able to meet the late 2025 deadline. Over the past year, many leaks have surfaced on social media so it’s clear that the studio is working on the game. It is to be noted that even Grand Theft Auto 5 was also initially planned for a Spring 2013 release but ultimately it was delayed to September 2013. Players shouldn’t be too surprised if GTA 6 also gets delayed by a few months.

Fallout 5 Is Another Game On Bethesda’s To-Do List

Fallout fans have been waiting for the next Fallout game since 2015 but in 2022, Todd Howard made it clear in an interview with IGN that Bethesda will start working on the fifth Fallout game after the completion of The Elder Scrolls VI. Keeping all these things in mind, it seems like the next Fallout game is still a decade away.

Do you think video game publishers are delaying video games due to financial setbacks? Or is it just because they’re struggling to optimize their games for new hardware? Share your views in the comments!