“CIG has blown millions of backer's money on frivolous rubbish,” says a former Star Citizen dev, criticizing Squadron 42

Star Citizen, the game that’s been in development forever and has faced plenty of flak from its own community, is hitting another record-breaking year in 2025. Revenue keeps climbing, even with players grumbling about the supposed VIP perks of the Concierge club or all the microtransactions. On top of that, a former dev has now come forward with some pretty harsh words about Cloud Imperium Games (CIG) and the upcoming Squadron 42.

Squadron 42 – Stunning Visuals, but little actual gameplay

Yesterday, YouTuber Camural posted a video about Squadron 42 demo, and ex CIG developer Robert Peterson chimed in with some personal thoughts on what it was like working on Star Citizen.

In Robert’s view most of Squadron 42’s gameplay consists of “walking and talking” sequences where the player has minimal interaction, essentially following characters like Mark Hamill through scripted scenes. While visually impressive, they believe the game offers very little actual gameplay and consider it one of the worst games created, stating they won’t spend money on it.

Source: Squadron 42; Developer: Cloud Imperium Games

Robert was a level designer for the PU, but apparently wasn’t allowed to design actual in-game levels, artists did that instead, even though they didn’t really get why. Robert and lead level designer quit in 2022.

Squadron 42 is currently slated for a 2026 release. While CIG remains confident they can meet that timeline and deliver a truly immersive and unforgettable experience, growing concerns from fans, and even former developers, suggest the reality may fall short of expectations.

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