Anyone who now purchases Star Citizen will be able to choose what part of Star Citizen they would like to purchase following Roberts Space Industries decision to change how the game can be purchased.
The change means that those wishing to play just the single-player portion of the game, “Squadron 42” can do so without buying the persistent MMO section of Star Citizen. Equally, those wishing to ignore the single-player campaign can opt to purchase just the core Star Citizen experience. Each one costs $45, after which players can decide to purchase the other mode for an additional $15. If you are looking for the full Star Citizen experience, it will cost you $60.
Still confused? In short, for $45 you can choose to purchase either the “Squadron 42” campaign or the core, persistent Star Citizen which is the MMO. Once you’ve bought one, you can purchase the other for $15.
Anyone who has purchased or backed Star Citizen before February 14 will receive both portions of the game. RSI have stated that both packages are part of the same game and universe and that the split does not change the fact that both games are functionally connected with one another.
“The package split does not change the fact that Star Citizen and Squadron 42 are part of the same game universe, or the fact that the games are functionally connected,” said RSI in an announcement.
“You will access Squadron 42 through the same game client. And your performance in Squadron 42 will still have an impact on your career in the persistent universe, whether you buy both segments together or if you choose to add one further down the line.” Those who purchase Squadron 42 alone will still have access to Arena Commander.”
“With the package split, we’re accomplishing this objective without increasing the amount of money needed to join the persistent universe. The ‘package split’ is the first introduction of the anticipated a la carte option: you can pick which part of the game you’re interested in, for now the single player campaign or the persistent universe, and then can choose whether or not to purchase the other module as an add-on.”
Roberts Space Industries went on to say that their plan is that early backers of Star Citizen receive the game for a lower price than those who back the game later on or purchase Star Citizen after release. The package split is the first step in giving early backers more for their money as well as making it easier for new players to purchase the game by giving them the choice of what section of the game they wish to purchase.
“When we started Star Citizen’s crowdfunding campaign, the plan was that earlier backers would get a lower price on the Star Citizen starter package than those that backed later. The plan was to first gradually increase the price and then split up various modules for “a la carte options.” This gave backers who joined the project early on and helped get it off the ground an advantage. With the package split, we’re accomplishing this objective without increasing the amount of money needed to join the persistent universe. The ‘package split’ is the first introduction of the anticipated a la carte option: you can pick which part of the game you’re interested in, for now the single player campaign or the persistent universe, and then can choose whether or not to purchase the other module as an add-on.”
