In the video game industry, Star Citizen is one of those projects that fascinates as much as it raises questions. In development since 2012, the space MMO designed by Cloud Imperium Games entered Early Access seven years ago, a sign of the complexity of the title, produced thanks to large-scale crowdfunding. The same goes for its spin-off, Squadron 42, whose release was initially announced for 2014 before being long delayed by the studio. One of the reasons: the fact that the project has grown so much, perhaps even to the point of considering a console release.
Is the Star Citizen spin-off also planned for consoles?
A single-player game set in the Star Citizen universe, Squadron 42 is designed by Cloud Imperium to be a more accessible experience designed alongside the MMO. Described as a spiritual successor to franchises like Wing Commander and Starlancer, it now displays major cinematic ambitions, as evidenced by the cast participating in the adventure. Because from Gary Oldman (Harry Potter) to Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings), via Gillian Anderson (X-Files, Sex Education), Henry Cavill (The Witcher) and Mark Hamill (Star Wars), we can say that there are some great people.
And indeed, as some internet users have noticed, the studio is currently looking for new developers to strengthen its ranks. More specifically, it is a question of recruiting new animators for cinematics, whose objective will then be to "bring to life the performances of some of the best actors in the industry to integrate them into the story of Squadron 42". A story that, according to the job posting, will be composed of "multiple branching", a "deep and emotional" narrative, but also obviously "exciting action".
What really caught the attention of players, however, is a little further down in the ad. Because if we go to the section dedicated to the qualifications required for the position, we can then find the following statement at the top of the list: "Professional experience in the development of game animations, ideally on current / next-gen consoles". A surprising clarification, then, considering that Squadron 42 has so far only been announced for PC. And of course, that was all it took for some to imagine that this also heralds a release of the game on consoles.
A release that is slowly approaching
So, could a surprise announcement be on the way from Cloud Imperium Games? And if so, can we expect a simultaneous release of the game on consoles and PC? Or should we rather expect a delayed release? We'll have to wait to find out. That said, with Squadron 42 having been announced for release in 2026, we shouldn't have to wait too long to find out the final word on this story. And who knows, perhaps the same fate awaits Star Citizen when it arrives, although porting an MMO of this magnitude is likely to be infinitely more complicated than porting a narrative-driven single-player adventure.
Source: Cloud Imperium Games
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