Cloud Imperium Games fired several members of its upper management team to meet deadlines. Insider Gaming received information from an anonymous source claiming that the developer of Star Citizen and Squadron 42 had fired top-level executives and shifted some people to different roles. CEO Chris Roberts announced the news to the staff via a memo in December 2024. This layoff isn’t the first round of firing in the company; it already let go of another group of staff, which mainly affected the QA department in November 2024.
At least three executives were let go. The three had been working at Cloud Imperium Games for many years. Roberts claimed that this firing was necessary to meet the deadlines for Star Citizen and Squadron 42. He said these changes to their company structure would ensure they had the right people in the correct positions.
Unnamed staff members said that this layoff was to cut spending rather than meet deadlines. There was even a rumor that the Roberts’ wife, Sandi Gardiner, would return to the company after leaving to join the board of directors. Chief Strategy Officer Carl Jones has been removed from the company website’s About section and even announced his departure on his LinkedIn profile.
This round of firings is not a new thing for Cloud Imperium Games. The company is quite infamous for its terrible mismanagement and out-of-control spending. They reportedly purchased ridiculous luxuries for their office, such as a coffee bar on the 9th floor in CIG’s Manchester building. In one instance, the company ordered their staff who worked on Citizencon deliverables to work for 19 days straight. Not only that, but the company reportedly spent more than $100 million every year, with a total of $637 million allocated for development.
Star Citizen has been in development for over a decade and has raised over $750 million in funding. Cloud Imperium Games claimed it would release the 1.0 version but has yet to announce a release date. On the other hand, Squadron 42 is a single-player action sci-fi game with a much smaller scope. It will feature famous actor Mark Hamill and is planned to be launched in 2026.
