Remember Citizen of the Star? You will be forgiven if you don’t. The game will make headlines from time to time, but after over 12 years of hype, even the most die-hard fans are growing impatient. Yes, it is playable and it really is a great experience, but it is still missing some of the most anticipated features. That’s why it’s such a substantial deal that Cloud Imperium said this Squadron 42 is almost complete after years of development.
Squadron 42 is a spinoff of the single-player game Citizen of the Star. Cloud Imperium’s annual Citizencon event – a Citizen of the Star– focused meeting – lasts this weekend and ends later today. Squadron 42 received an extended gameplay trailer, lasting over an hour (although fair warning, a solid portion of it is a cutscene) and an updated release date: 2026.
After watching the trailer, I must admit that it looks really nippy. The graphics are polished and the lighting is exactly what I would expect from a scene set on a burning spaceship.
According to Chris Roberts, CEO of Cloud Imperium, Squadron 42 has been completed since last year, but the team is focused on polishing it as much as possible before release (via PCGamesN). A 2026 release date would give them time to make it Squadron 42 something really special, but take this news with a grain of salt. Cloud Imperium was known to miss deadlines.
Squadron 42 will feature approximately 40 hours of gameplay, as well as an incredibly star-studded cast that includes Henry Cavill, Mark Hamill, Sophie Wu, Andy Serkis, Gillian Anderson and more. Basically, if he’s a substantial star in something remotely sci-fi related, he’s here.
Gameplay will be split between space and ground combat and will include other elements such as relationship management. The combat is fluid and reminds me of the love child in between Star Wars: Squadrons AND Elite: Dangerous. The game’s walking segments suggest there will also be a survival element, with HUD elements to track the player’s hydration and oxygen levels, as well as heart rate.
I never paid much attention to it Citizen of the Starbut watching the gameplay trailer might have turned me into a fan.
