Roberts Space Industries has announced another significant delay for Squadron 42, the single-player campaign for its ambitious space simulation game Star Citizen. The game is now scheduled for release no earlier than the second quarter of 2027, pushing its arrival back by approximately six months.
This latest postponement brings the total development time for Squadron 42 to over a decade, as it was initially slated for release in 2016. The stated reason for this extended delay, according to Star Citizen creator Chris Roberts, is to avoid launching the game in the shadow of Grand Theft Auto VI, which is set to release in November. Roberts expressed a desire to prevent his "spiritual successor to Wing Commander" from launching into the "buzzsaw of GTA6."
Roberts acknowledged that many other game developers have also adjusted their release schedules to avoid the highly anticipated Rockstar title. However, the context of Squadron 42's prolonged development and its original 2014 release promise for the broader Star Citizen project makes this delay particularly noteworthy. Star Citizen itself, which began crowdfunding in 2012 and has since raised over a billion dollars, remains in a fragmented state, with the overall project significantly smaller than initially envisioned.
Critics have pointed out the convenient timing of this excuse, especially given that the PC version of Grand Theft Auto VI is not expected until seven months after its console launch, potentially placing it in the same Q2 2027 window that Squadron 42 is now targeting. While the broader industry has indeed shifted release dates to navigate the anticipated impact of GTA VI, the sheer length of Squadron 42's development cycle and its status as a PC-exclusive title in a different genre lead some to question the primary motivation behind the latest delay.
Squadron 42 has yet to see a playable build released in any capacity, and its indefinite extension until at least Q2 2027, if not later, continues a pattern of shifting timelines that has characterized the Star Citizen project since its inception. The ambiguity of "Q2" further adds to the uncertainty surrounding the game's eventual release.