Star Citizen now offering to sell in-game land
The most successful crowdfunded game ever is asking players to spend more
Cloud Imperium's Star Citizen has already generated an astonishing $168 million in crowdfunding, but the game is now adding another microtransaction option to generate even more money. As of yesterday, Cloud Imperium started offering players the chance to buy land, as detailed in this official FAQ.
Players can claim a 4km x 4km plot for $50 or a 8km x 8km parcel for $100. The developer said that each plot of virtual land also comes with a 'Geotack Marking Beacon' to enable players to find their virtual "home" and also to be alerted when any intruders enter the space. Cloud Imperium noted that there are "billions of square kilometers" available for purchase, and if even a fraction of those billions are purchased that amounts to quite a cash total for the developer. Cloud Imperium has stated that the funds are going back into the project to aid ongoing development.
Some might think that offering plots of land could lead to a pay-to-win scenario, but Cloud Imperium has said that players who don't purchase any land will not be at a disadvantage. It's hard to know how this will play out, as all players will get right now when they buy is a claim license to their parcel - land cannot be claimed until Cloud Imperium takes the feature live and it's not yet known when that will happen.
Star Citizen has been in development since 2011 and was actually planned for a release in 2014 initially. There's still no official release date, and the fact that Cloud Imperium keeps raising money and offering expensive ships, and now land, for sale has caused some to scrutinize the developer's intent.