Star Citizen Spinoff Squadron 42 Delayed to 2027, Dev Insists It’s Because of GTA 6

Star Citizen single-player spinoff Squadron 42 has been delayed to 2027, with developer Chris Roberts insisting it wouldn’t get the attention it deserves because of Grand Theft Auto 6.

In a new blog post, Cloud Imperium Games CEO Chris Roberts announced that Squadron 42 will be launching in Q2 2027. The studio had previously announced 2026 as its release window and reaffirmed late last year that it was still targeting that. However, Roberts noted that GTA 6 is going to suck up all of the attention this fall, and as a result, it doesn’t make sense to launch a new game during that time.

“At CitizenCon 2024, we announced we would ship in 2026. Our plan was to release in Q4 around IAE,” said Roberts. “But 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 twelve years of blood, sweat and tears invested into it (we started Squadron 42 development in 2014 as 2013 was opening studios, hiring people and getting the Hangar module out for Star Citizen) launching into the attention buzz saw of GTA 6. 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.”

Roberts went on to note that CIG will be doing previews of Squadron 42 with content creators and early backers in October, which it will use as an opportunity to announce release plans with a concrete date to follow “shortly” afterwards. Q2 would place Squadron 42 sometime during the spring, so long as nothing changes between now and then.

Squadron 42 has been in development for over a decade now, almost as long as Star Citizen itself. The game has been delayed numerous times, but promises an ambitious story and gameplay experience. It also boasts an absurdly star-studded cast including Gary Oldman, Mark Hamill, Henry Cavill, Andy Serkis, Ben Mendelsohn, Mark Strong, and many, many others. The cast may have expanded well beyond those names over the years as well.

Roberts had also previously stated that he hopes that Squadron 42’s release will be as big of an event as GTA 6, noting that it’s probably the biggest-budget game behind Rockstar’s open-world crime epic. Star Citizen crossed the $1 billion mark earlier this year when it comes to funding, and there aren’t many other games that can rival a budget like that.

The delay announcement comes hot on the heels of a disastrous Star Citizen developer livestream that went radically off the rails. After early access players complained of bugs and issues with a new update to the game, the developers held a stream to show the “intended” version of the experience, only to be met with the same issues, if not worse. It led to passive-aggressive comments between the developers themselves and an uncomfortable tension in the air. Many have wondered if Star Citizen will ever actually properly release and that broadcast didn’t help with those concerns.

Star Citzen itself remains without a release window.

Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.