Chris Roberts, creator of classic space sim Wing Commander has shown off a little of the prototype for his new game Star Citizen, and shiver me space timbers it looks good.
Star Citizen is a project of epic proportions, and Roberts has decided to take it on without approaching a big publisher and go about finding some crowd funding (with some help with some more traditional investors). This is despite the fact he wants to raise between two and four million. It’s a multiplayer and single-player space flight sim crossbreed that allows users to dip in and out of a massive persistent-universe, and play co-op in its “single-player” bits.
As the trailer will tell you, it’s very much a PC game. Speaking to PC Gamer, Roberts explained his approach to publishing his new baby:
“I was having conversations with EA to do another Wing Commander, but I’m not really that interested in doing a next-gen console game and being a part of that loop,”
“So the pitch is a combination of normal investors, and then cut out the EAs and Activisions and go straight to the die-hard crowd and say, ‘OK, I want to deliver you this, but it’s not going to be a small thing. Not a $500,000 or $100,000 thing. It’s going to be millions. But it’s something you’ll show your friends who play on consoles and they’ll be drooling.’ That’s my intention.”
The game is very much a logical progression for Roberts after attempting a space sim with a dynamic world in 1999 with a game named Freelancer. The title received huge amounts of attention but after Roberts sold his company Digital Anvil to Microsoft it never quite took the shape it should have done. Star Citizen looks like it’s made completely out of Roberts’ dreams.
“So imagine that you’re in this massive persistent universe, but you sign up for a tour of duty on the front lines against the barbarians — that’s your single-player experience. Then after that you’re out in the world to make your fortune” explains Roberts.
Star Citizen looks absolutely incredible and runs on a modified version of the CryEngine. Roberts has set up a dedicated website over at http://robertsspaceindustries.com which has a whole load of information and serves as a portal for those who wish to contribute to the development of the game financially (a la Kickstarter, but without the Kickstarter).
If you’re a console gamer or your computer’s even a little under top spec then be careful watching the trailer below as envy is a poison to a man’s heart, or so they say.
