Squadron 42 Pushed to 2027 Because Cloud Imperium Wants to Avoid the GTA 6 Storm
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Cloud Imperium Games has delayed Squadron 42 to Q2 2027, with studio head Chris Roberts citing the looming release of GTA 6 as too big of an attention hurdle to risk.
Cloud Imperium Games has pushed the release of its long-awaited single-player sci-fi campaign, Squadron 42, into the second quarter of 2027. Studio head Chris Roberts pointed directly to Rockstar's upcoming juggernaut as the primary reason for the delay, noting that launching this autumn would mean competing against a massive cultural event that will consume nearly all media and creator bandwidth. According to Roberts, a project that has absorbed over a decade of development simply cannot afford to get swallowed by the attention cycle surrounding Grand Theft Auto.
The game was previously targeting a late 2026 window, a timeline the studio reaffirmed as recently as late last year. While Rockstar's blockbuster will not launch on PC initially, Roberts acknowledged that the sheer volume of coverage from outlets and content creators would leave little oxygen for anything else in the gaming ecosystem. Instead of risking the launch, Cloud Imperium plans to show the game to a select group of creators and backers this October before locking down a concrete release date.
This latest delay adds another chapter to a development cycle that began back in 2014, running parallel to the massive crowdfunding machine that is Star Citizen. That persistent crowdfunded universe recently cleared the milestone of one billion dollars in total backing, bolstered by high-priced digital vehicle sales like the five thousand dollar Anvil Odin concept pledge. For the community, the wait for Squadron 42 and its star-studded cast featuring Mark Hamill and Gary Oldman continues, with players hoping the extra months deliver a polished experience worthy of the long timeline.
Tags: Squadron 42, Star Citizen, GTA 6, Cloud Imperium Games, PC Gaming
Original article: Eurogamer