LogInAt the moment, it's difficult to determine whether the developer actually ever worked at Cloud Imperium Games.
With $870 million in funding, the title of one of the most expensive game makers ever, and no release date for either Star Citizen or Squadron 42 in sight, it's no wonder people are curious about how Cloud Imperium Games manages the massive financial support from its nearly six million backers and are ready to seize on anything and everything related to the topic, even if the updates come from the unlikeliest of places.
Case in point – a curious comment left under a recent video on Squadron 42 from YouTuber Camural, written by one Robert Peterson, an alleged ex-developer at Cloud Imperium Games Frankfurt and Level Designer for Star Citizen.
In his comment, Peterson accused the studio of wasting "millions of backers' money on frivolous bullsh*t," claiming that spending at the Frankfurt and UK offices was roughly the same. He also criticized Squadron 42 as being "worse than an interactive movie with cutscenes," saying that back when he was with the team, circa 2022, gameplay took place within cutscenes – meaning you could move somewhat freely, but were tied to an NPC and couldn't do much, making it seem more like an interactive cutscene than proper gameplay.
"During internal SQ42 presentations to the whole team, several of us were making side bets as to how much 'walking and talking' the player would have to endure. The 'walking and talking' occurred during 4 internal presentations that I saw...and it was the majority of the overall presentations." Peterson said. " Squadron 42 will be a beautiful thing to look at, but it will no doubt be one of the worst 'games' that was ever conceived, let alone made."
Additionally, the developer explained why he chose to post the comment, saying that while he respects the NDAs he signed with the studio, he couldn't stay silent because of the "sh*tty efforts" of CIG and its CEO Chris Roberts, without specifying what those "efforts" entailed.
"I'm still a game dev (working for a different company) and I take pride in my work, as do most people making games. But CIG's practices and methods are frankly embarrassing for the games industry, and it's truly difficult to stay silent in the face of such silly nonsense," commented the supposed ex-dev.
While some, including the video's author, were quick to take the comment at face value, it's no secret that accusations of financial mismanagement mean zilch without evidence that the accuser is actually familiar with the behind-the-scenes workings of the accused, and in this case, that evidence is shaky at best.
While Robert Peterson is indeed a real person and developer, having previously worked at Deadline Games and Crytek, there's little indication that he was ever employed by Cloud Imperium. His social media profiles – such as LinkedIn, usually the go-to way to verify someone's connection to a company – are either extremely hard to find or simply non-existent, and his MobyGames page makes no mention of him having worked on Star Citizen.
The only "evidence" linking him to Cloud Imperium is Peterson's own video showcasing examples of in-game lighting from games he worked on, which includes Star Citizen. Whether this constitutes concrete proof is up to you to decide, but unless the developer comes forward with more substantial evidence of his employment at CIG, his claims about the company wasting backers' money should be taken with a grain of salt.
So, what do you think about Peterson's accusations? Should he be believed? Is the video above proof enough of his involvement in Star Citizen's development? Tell us what you think down in the comments!
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