Star Citizen Squadron 42 Beta Announced for 2020

Cloud Imperium Games, the company behind the long-awaited space sim Star Citizen, have made a big announcement. Squadron 42, the single player offshoot of Star Citizen, is going to enter the beta stages some time in mid-2020. While that does not seem like much, it’s definitely way more than what the general public has seen of anything Star Citizen-related so far.

The developers did have a word of caution, though, saying (via Eurogamer): “Of course, also like its Star Citizen counterpart, the Squadron 42 roadmap is not necessarily exhaustive and may be changed or updated as development continues. Make sure you read the caveats, and enjoy this insight into the process.” So, you know, as always, be careful out there and read the fine print.

For those that need a refresher, Squadron 42 is the single player story campaign offshoot of Star Citizen. People describe it as this huge first-person shooter adventure with an expansive story. Plus, the cast features some really impressive names, including the likes of Mark Hamill, Gary Oldman, Gillian Anderson, and Liam Cunningham. Squadron 42 began as a part of Star Citizen; a single-player campaign for you to play through to get you ready for the main attraction. However, much like Star Citizen itself, it kinda bloated and mutated into a standalone project which will, somewhat ironically, see the light of day before Star Citizen proper.

Now, I have to admit, I’m pretty skeptical about both Squadron 42 and Star Citizen. It seems to me that Cloud Imperium Games keep moving the goalposts and selling ship packs and what-have-you. Plus, there was that whole kerfuffle about refunds a while back, which makes me even more wary. However, I admit that having a solid date for something is a little re-assuring. I really do hope that Squadron 42 pulls through, but I’ll believe it when I see it. I guess we’ll have to wait and see what 2020 brings.