Cloud Imperium Games opens Steam wishlisting for Squadron 42 ahead of Q2 2027 launch

Cloud Imperium Games opened Steam wishlisting for Squadron 42 ahead of a Q2 2027 release. The single-player Star Citizen spin-off was first announced in 2012, 14 years before release. Star Citizen's crowdfunding has passed $1.05 billion from roughly 6.5 million registered backers. Until now, Star Citizen and Squadron 42 sold only through CIG's own RSI launcher.

CIG funded Star Citizen through its own launcher, selling ships priced up to $5,000.
That direct-to-consumer model raised over $1 billion in crowdfunding since 2012.
Squadron 42's Steam listing opens the single-player title to non-backer PC players.
Star Citizen itself remains sold only through CIG's RSI launcher, unlike Squadron 42.

Steam distribution cedes a revenue share to Valve that CIG's launcher never charged.
CIG declared Squadron 42 feature complete in October 2023.
Roberts said every chapter was playable internally from start to finish by December 2025.
A finished standalone campaign trades DTC margin for Steam's installed PC audience.

Roberts delayed Squadron 42 to avoid launching into GTA VI's release window.
"Much like the rest of the industry there is no way I want to launch my spiritual successor to Wing Commander, a game that has had 12 years of blood, sweat and tears invested into it, launching into the attention buzz saw of GTA 6." - Chris Roberts, CEO, Cloud Imperium Games
Squadron 42 originally targeted a 2016 release, now arriving 11 years later.
GTA VI itself took about eight years of development before its November launch.

For Publishers & Developers: Shift space-sim and narrative-shooter PC launches out of the Q2 2027 window.
For UA & Marketing: Lock space-sim campaign inventory before Q2 2027, when genre CPMs will likely spike.
For Service Vendors: Pitch localization, compatibility QA and community moderation to CIG for its first open-storefront launch.