Cloud Imperium Games, the developer of Star Citizen, has mandated its developers to work seven days a week to meet deadlines for Citizencon on October 19th.
An internal email sent to staff yesterday states that the company needs to “double down over the next 18 days to make sure that once again we create an amazing experience for our community.” This includes finalizing patch 3.24.2 for Star Citizen and having a Squadron 42 demo showcase for Chapter 1.
The email later continues, “This means for the next two weekends we will be mandating extra time for all those working on deliverables for Citcon.”
The company mandate states:
- All staff are to be in the office on Friday, October 4th and Friday, October 11th (typically a work-at-home day)
- All staff are to be in the office on Saturday, October 5th, and Saturday, October 12th (for these days, the company will provide breakfast and lunch, with staff receiving company TOIL (time off in lieu) which can be stored and used for time off at a later date)
- All staff are to work on Sunday, October 6th, and Sunday, October 13th (this can be a work-at-home day, but the company “encourages” people to be in the office. For these days and for those in the office, the company will provide breakfast and lunch, with staff receiving company TOIL, which can be stored and used for time off at a later date)
Insider Gaming understands that the recent mandate is the latest in a slew of ridiculous requirements imposed on its developers due to mismanagement, leading to some leaving the company entirely.
Another internal email sent to Insider Gaming in July 2024 reveals that Cloud Imperium Games “pre-approved” 12 hours of ‘SQ42 TOIL’ per week for developers to meet Citizencon deadlines. The catch? The TOIL will only be made available after Squadron 42 ships, and employees must still be employed with the company by the time the game ships, or the TOIL “will be forfeited.”
The email continues that UK employees “need to be mindful of the hours they work and are asked to have 11 hours outside of work in each 24-hour period.”
Insider Gaming contacted Cloud Imperium Games ahead of publication and received acknowledgment but no comment on the matter.
However, 11 minutes after we reached out, another internal email to staff read,
“I want to really thank everyone who will be putting extra time over the next two weeks, it will really make a difference at Citizencon, as we will show our very best.
“To show our appreciation, all those who will in the trenches with us over the next couple of weekends, can have Monday 21st October on the company as a free holiday.
“This hopefully will give a little break for everyone to rest after our long Citizencon weekend and the drive towards it”
As of May 2024, Star Citizen has raised over $700 million in crowdfunding.
Employee’s at Cloud Imperium Games can contact me securely and anonymously at [email protected] as I continue to investigate the issues at the company.
For more Insider Gaming, read about Nintendo shutting down yet another popular Switch emulator. And don’t forget to sign up for our weekly newsletter.
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