Star Citizen Devs Criticized Company's Management & Development Process

Ahead of Citizencon, which will be held on October 19, Cloud Imperium Games, the developer of Star Citizen, required its employees to work 7 days a week until the event. As the legality of the requirement was doubtful, the mandate was modified shortly after, and the development company offered its employees the option of a 6-day week if they worked a minimum of 56 hours throughout these days. Some Cloud Imperium Games employees shared their opinions on the situation and the company's internal processes.

The Cloud Imperium Games' workers say they have been experiencing financial reduction over the last year. From 2020 to 2022, the company spent an average of over $100 million a year on development, and it is estimated that its revenue will run out soon. About 100-150 employees were laid off earlier this year, and current workers also experience financial issues as wage growth and promotions seem to have halted.

"But at least we have baristas serving us coffee here," one employee humorously notes. Some employees criticize management's spending habits. One of the recent spending is a coffee bar in the Manchester office. Some sources say the new Manchester office has many unnecessary facilities that make it "almost like a space version of Willy Wonka’s factory" that "caters to taste over functionality."

According to employees, the management says it's "pushing the boundaries of game development," a phrase it uses to justify all its creative and teaching practices, which the workers frown upon. One such practice is using the Star Engine, a refactored version of CryEngine 3, which is reportedly a reason for numerous development delays. The employees call it "Frankenstein," which is difficult to work with.

The employees also criticize the organization of the creative process and the constant changes imposed on it. "I've genuinely been sat in meetings that got derailed for 30 minutes so that the placement of objects that players are likely never to interact with could be discussed in detail," a former employee shared.

Cloud Imperium Games' Star Citizen, a crowdfunded video game project, has been in the alpha period for nearly eleven years. In May, it reached a new milestone of $700 million raised from over 5.24 million supporters. Also, a month ago, CIG registered a trademark, which might hint at a new game in development. 

Read the details here and join our 80 Level Talent platform and our Telegram channel, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Reddit, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.