Star Citizen reaches $14 million in funding

Cloud Imperium's space combat and exploration sim Star Citizen reached $14 million in funding through the game's official website Roberts Space Industries and Kickstarter campaign, according to an announcement on the site.

At the time of writing, more than 211,077 backers have contributed $14,015,877 to the funding of Star Citizen on its website since Oct. 10, including the $2.1 million raised from 34,397 Kickstarter backers. The $14 million goal sees Hibernation Mode added to the game. The mode allows players to shut down their spacecraft in deep space and resume the game later on without any worries. The developer also plans to create a "Behind the Scenes of Star Citizen" documentary and will add a fourth land out option on Earth, with the city to be revealed at a later date.

The already announced $15 million funding goal will introduce the escort carrier flyable ship class and "The Upgrade Handbook," a 42-page manual that outlines customization and overclocking of ship systems. The handbook will be a free PDF free to all backers who pledge before the $15 million mark.

At the $16 million mark, the company aims to introduce an arena mode, "The next generation of Wing Commander's TrainSim allows pilots to test out their combat skills against friends or strangers in a simulation." Through the arena mode, players can place bets and gain combat experience without the risk of losing their crafts. Those who pledge before the $16 million goal will receive a laser pistol.

Funding for Star Citizen began on the site in October, where it was knocked offline for two days shortly after the game was unveiled due to high interest. A week later, Cloud Imperium launched a Star Citizen Kickstarter campaign to contribute to the crowdfunding efforts to hit its overall target of $2 million. The Kickstarter campaign reached its $500,000 fundraising goal six days after going live and raised a total of $2.1 million from 34,397 backers before its end in November.

For more information about Star Citizen and Cloud Imperium, be sure to read our recent interview with Chris Roberts, creator of Wing Commander and Cloud Imperium's founder.