Squadron 42, Star Citizen’s standalone single-player mode, will see some new details unveiled next week, according to a newsletter recently sent to fans.
The developers are calling on players to “enlist” by signing up for the Squadron 42 newsletter, which will provide monthly updates on the game going forward. December 20 will see them unveil a new teaser in partnership with IGN, which will feature Mark Hamill. I’d expect it to be something featuring Hamill’s in-game character rather than an appearance for the actor himself, since it seems he’d be rather busy promoting another project at the moment.
In the (presumably still lengthy) wait for Star Citizen and Squadron 42, check out the best space games on PC.
December 21 will also see the premiere of another Around the Verse stream offering developer updates on Squadron 42. The ramp up of Squadron 42 marketing suggests that, perhaps, the game is nearing a more final state, but development on anything related to Star Citizen doesn’t seem move on a timescale that human minds can comprehend.
The timing on the sudden news blast is interesting, given a recently-filed lawsuit by Crytek alleging copyright infringement and breach of contract on the part of Cloud Imperium Games and Roberts Space Industries. One of their chief allegations is directly about Squadron 42, which Crytek say constitutes a secondary title not covered by the license agreement for their engine.
But before you start feeling too conspiratorial, the ramp up in Squadron 42 information was actually first hinted at in another newsletter sent out a week ago – before the lawsuit was filed. Whatever role the legal proceedings end up playing in Star Citizen’s continued development, we’ll find out a bit more about plans for one of its branches very soon.