“Scam Citizen”: Why players have paid $1 billion for an unfinished game

Star Citizen was announced in 2012 by Chris Roberts, the developer behind the legendary Wing Commander series. The game was originally supposed to launch in 2014. Instead, more than a decade later, it remains in a playable but far-from-finished alpha state. Nevertheless, the game recently reached another milestone: crowdfunding revenue has now exceeded $1 billion.

The figure comes from the funding tracker on the official Roberts Space Industries website, which summarizes income from various sources – including game packages, digital ships, upgrades and other purchases related to Star Citizen. Although the game is still unfinished, players can already spend a lot of money on it, including ships that cost several hundred US dollars. The milestone has sparked a new discussion on Reddit.

How can an unfinished game make so much money?

The topic went viral on Reddit in a very short time, with more than 1,900 comments in around 10 hours. Users are asking how an unfinished game can generate so much revenue. One term that comes up frequently is “sunk-cost fallacy” – the tendency to keep investing because so much has already been spent. Players who have already put a lot of money into the game may find it difficult to walk away and end up spending even more, even if it remains unfinished. Such a mechanism may have helped Star Citizen reach its enormous revenue figures.

Many Reddit users are frustrated and mockingly refer to the sci-fi game as “Scam Citizen.” However, most Redditors seem to see it less as outright fraud and more as a business model that has completely gone off the rails. Many users suspect that Cloud Imperium Games may be making more money from endless development than it would from a finished product. So far, expensive concept ships seem to be enough to keep parts of the community engaged.

Some fans defend Star Citizen and emphasize that the game is already playable and offers unique moments that cannot be found in any other space sim. Exploring, trading or fighting in space can be a lot of fun, especially with friends. The alpha version is available via the official website, but it is not exactly cheap: even a starter pack with just one spaceship costs around $60.