Star Citizen is offering a new bundle for its most dedicated of fans: A package containing every single spaceship in the game for a mere $48,000. The latest in the game's expensive Legatus bundles, it's described this way:
"PACKAGE - LEGATUS 2953
Ahead of all others, this definitive armada is an equal match to the noble title of Legatus Navium. Comprised of over 175 vessels from every manufacturer of note, this perfect collection, including all ships released and concepted through 2953, empowers every fleet commander to forge a lasting legacy, leading humanity towards a brighter future.
The Karna "Ascension" Rifle will be available in-game in Q1 2024."
That's more than the median income of the U.S., and quite frankly, a ludicrous amount to spend on a video game — but somehow, it's become business as usual for Star Citizen, where paying large amounts of money in an early access game is now just something its fans expect.
It's hard to describe Star Citizen. The usual words we reach for like "delayed", "beleaguered", or even "fraught" don't really apply here, as you never get the idea that the extended development time is anything other than intentional. After beginning production in 2011, Star Citizen was initially expected to launch in 2014, after a successful Kickstarter campaign brought in over $2 million. It's still not out, as you can probably guess, and there have been no plans for a firm release date. Instead, the developers have released sections of the game to fans — known as "modules". It's in these modules that the truly dedicated can buy and fly their extremely expensive spaceships.
When it was initially pitched, Star Citizen was an incredibly ambitious project, envisioning an enormous, permanent galaxy through which players could forge their own destiny and make choices as to how they interacted with the many worlds and voids in between. However, in the over a decade since, we've seen a number of games be announced and released in that same mold. While not strictly multiplayer experiences, Elite Dangerous, No Man's Sky, and even Starfield have helped to scratch that particular space itch for many.
You might expect that to leave Star Citizen in something of an odd place, but apparently that's not the case. Clearly if it has a fanbase dedicated enough to drop multiple thousands of dollars for virtual spaceships, they're not likely to have their heads turned by pretenders to the throne.