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Squadron 42 Delay Moves the Space Epic Into Q2 2027
After more than a decade in development, Squadron 42 has received another delay, although this time Cloud Imperium Games has been unusually open about one of the reasons why.
Founder and CEO Chris Roberts confirmed through the latest Letter From the Chairman that the single-player Star Citizen campaign will now target Q2 2027.
CIG had previously committed to a 2026 launch and was internally aiming for the fourth quarter, around its annual Intergalactic Aerospace Expo. That would have put Squadron 42 uncomfortably close to the November 19 arrival of Grand Theft Auto VI. For Roberts, that was apparently reason enough to move.
GTA VI Is Simply Too Big to Ignore
CIG has invested 12 years into Squadron 42, and Roberts does not want its eventual launch fighting against what he described as the “attention buzz saw” surrounding Rockstar Games’ next blockbuster. The concern is not necessarily direct competition for players either.
GTA VI is currently only confirmed for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, while Squadron 42 is being developed for PC. Yet Roberts expects gaming outlets and content creators to spend much of the period surrounding November covering Rockstar’s game regardless.
Given how much attention GTA VI continues to generate, even before launch, it is not difficult to understand the concern. CIG subsequently looked at the available windows in early 2027 and settled on the second quarter, meaning the game is currently targeting somewhere between April and June.
Selected Backers Will Play Squadron 42 in October
Players will at least get another indication of how close Squadron 42 really is before the end of this year. CIG is inviting a small number of original backers and long-time Star Citizen content creators to play the campaign on October 9 and 10.
Roberts says further launch plans will be announced around those sessions, with a specific release date expected shortly afterwards. That makes October particularly important for a game whose lengthy development has understandably made players wary of release targets. Squadron 42 entered development in 2014 and features an extensive cast including Gary Oldman, Mark Hamill, Gillian Anderson and Henry Cavill.
Q2 2027 is now the target. Whether this will finally be the window that sticks is a question CIG can only answer with time.
