The development of the ambitious space simulator Star Citizen has been slowly progressing for many years. All these years, fans have been donating, and Cloud Imperium Games has cumulatively raised over a billion dollars.
Recently, The Nosy Gamer drew attention to Star Citizen's donation statistics for the third quarter of 2026 and noted that “something rare has happened.” Revenue from in-game purchases has been declining for two consecutive months (marked as “pledge” on the chart):
For the first time since October–November 2024, a consistent decline in revenue was recorded. According to CCU Game statistics, in September, Cloud Imperium Games received $8.1 million — 12.8% less compared to September 2025 ($9.3 million). This drop was enough for the third quarter of 2026 to become the first quarter since the fourth quarter of 2024 to show a year-over-year sales decline. However, sales for the last three months amounted to $24.7 million, which is only a 1.3% decrease, or $300,000, compared to the same quarter in 2025.
In addition, it is noted that in September, 41.2% fewer new players appeared — 38 thousand accounts versus 65 thousand last year. The Nosy Gamer attributes the drop in donations and new players to the failure to launch the Alpha 4.11 update in September: “The lack of new content affected both potential buyers trying the game and sales of new ships to existing players.”