Star Citizen’s Squadron 42 delayed again, this time to avoid ‘the attention buzz saw of GTA 6’ says Chris Roberts

We see games getting delayed all the time, but today’s delay is particularly notable because this particular game was first supposed to come out in, ooh, let me check… Yep. All the way back in 2015.

Squadron 42, the long-awaited, celebrity-packed episodic singleplayer component of Star Citizen has been delayed once again. And why? This time, according to game director Chris Roberts, it’s to avoid the media hubbub around another oft-delayed game: GTA 6.

“At CitizenCon 2024 we announced we would ship in 2026. Our plan was to release in Q4 around IAE,” Roberts said in a post on the RSI website.

“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 said.

“We have taken a look at the release windows at the start of 2027, and decided that Q2 provides a better time for Squadron 42 to release.”

Look, I dunno. Roberts isn’t wrong: there will be absolutely tons of attention on GTA 6—there already is, if you haven’t noticed—but not everyone plays GTA 6 and not everyone wants to watch videos or streams or read about it. There’s no game so big it swallows absolutely everyone’s attention for months, not even a new GTA game.

We’ve seen a lot of games getting out of the way of Rockstar’s path, but pushing the release that far into 2027 suggests CIG just wants more time. And judging from the state of the recent disastrous Star Citizen livestream, it may need more time.

“I know a lot of you will be disappointed to not be playing Squadron 42 at the end of this year,” Roberts said, “but it is the best thing for the project as it is truly something special and so needs to the opportunity to have the focus of the wider gaming world.”