author: Bart Swiatek
Squadron 42 Will be a Polished Game; Chris Roberts Points to Cyberpunk 2077
The developers of Squadron 42 informed that for the time being they are unable to determine even an approximate release date. The project will appear when it is ready. The community will be able to follow the progress with a new tool that has been made available by Cloud Imperium Games.
IN A NUTSHELL:
- Cloud Imperium Games reported that Squadron 42 still requires a lot of work;
- The developers don't plan to show gameplay footage in the near future - the project will come out when it's finished, to avoid disappointment similar to that of Cyberpunk 2077;
- Fans will be provided with a tool called Progress Tracker, thanks to which they will be able to keep track of the developers' progress and check if the plan for the whole year has been implemented.
The creators of Star Citizen and Squadron 42 - Cloud Imperium Games - published another note summarizing the progress of work on both aforementioned productions. Unfortunately, those counting on the imminent launch of the second title have to prepare for a disappointment, because everything seems to indicate that there is still a lot of time left before we see them in action, not to mention playing them - the game is to launch when it is ready. We shouldn't expect any more materials from Squadron 42 - at least until the project is nearing completion.
"I have decided that it is best to not show Squadron 42 gameplay publicly, nor discuss any release date until we are closer to the home stretch and have high confidence in the remaining time needed to finish the game to the quality we want," reads the post.
The main reason for the extended development is to create the most impressive product possible, although the note also includes the challenges of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic. Chris Roberts even referred to... the unsuccessful release of Cyberpunk 2077, although he didn't explicitly mention CD Projekt RED's game.
"Over the past few years, I’ve seen more than a few eagerly awaited titles release before they were bug free and fully polished. This holiday season is no exception. This is just another reminder to me of why I am so lucky to have such a supportive community, as well as a development model that is funded by people that care about the best game possible, and not about making their quarterly numbers or the big holiday shopping season," we read.
Instead of further unfulfilled promises about the release date, the fans received a new roadmap - the Progress Tracker tool enabling them to keep track of the progress made by the developers of both projects. Thanks to this and more frequent communication with the community, the developers' actions are to be much more transparent.
"For the Progress Tracker view, we’ve committed up front to giving you four quarters of visibility into each team’s development. The further out you project, the more fluid (subject to change) the work is and the less hardened the schedules. That’s why we don’t think it is useful to go beyond that four quarters threshold. Even at three to four quarters out, you should know that deliverables will be subject to movement, sometimes moving out a quarter or more. That’s because priorities can change, unknowns may surface that block development, or downstream dependencies may get delayed that force us to pause work or revisit our estimates. But it’s important to note that the new Progress Tracker will show you our best estimates of our teams’ deliverables and the duration of their sprints for four quarters out," we read in the note.
Squadron 42 is the dedicated story campaign of Star Citizen, which was separated from the original title and announced as a separate title. Initially, the work was to debut in 2016, but the deadline has been postponed many times - the latest provided date was the end of this year, but it's no secret that it wasn't really feasible for some time now.
