Cloud Imperium Games has delayed Squadron 42 to the second quarter of 2027, with studio chief executive and co-founder Chris Roberts saying the single-player Star Citizen spin-off would be drowned out if it launched alongside Grand Theft Auto 6.
The game had been targeting 2026, a date Cloud Imperium reaffirmed as recently as late last year. In a new blog post reported by Eurogamer and GamesIndustry.biz, Roberts said the plan had been a fourth-quarter release timed around IAE.
There is no way I want to launch my spiritual successor to Wing Commander, a game that has had twelve years of blood, sweat and tears invested into it, into the attention buzz saw of GTA 6.
Roberts added that the collision would be a problem even without a direct platform clash: "While GTA 6 isn't launching on PC this November, pretty much all outlets and most content creators will be all over it, not leaving a lot of room for other coverage." He told backers the delay was "the best thing for the project", which he said "needs the opportunity to have the focus of the wider gaming world".
What happens before launch
Cloud Imperium plans to show Squadron 42 in October to a small number of original backers and long-time Star Citizen content creators, with a firmer release date to follow shortly afterwards. A second-quarter window would place the game in spring 2027, assuming no further slips between now and then.
Twelve years and a billion dollars
Squadron 42 has been in development since 2014 and has moved its release date repeatedly. Its cast includes Gary Oldman, Mark Hamill, Henry Cavill, Andy Serkis, Gillian Anderson, Ben Mendelsohn and Mark Strong.
Star Citizen itself has been in development since 2012 and passed $1 billion raised through crowdfunding and early access sales in May, a figure GamesIndustry.biz noted it reached without a formal release date. Eurogamer reported that the milestone landed as the game put a $5,000 capital ship, the Anvil Odin, on sale as a limited concept pledge with no firm release date of its own; buyers were loaned an Idris P in the meantime. Earlier this year, Cloud Imperium co-founder Sandi Roberts said Squadron 42 was "imminently" close to launch and that its marketing campaign would target a broader audience than Star Citizen's.