Cloud Imperium Games Records $117.4 Million In Sales For 2023

According to the player-run CCU Game Star Citizen funding dashboard, Cloud Imperium Games earned $657.4 million in sales through its cash shop at Roberts Space Industries since October 2012. For 2023, the company recorded $117.6 million, a 3.5% increase of 2022's total of $113.6 million.

CIG ended a roaring hot 4th quarter with $8.4 million in sales in December, a 4.2% year-over-year increase from December 2022. Overall for the 4th quarter, CIG sales hit $51.5 million, a corporate record for a single quarter and 32% greater that Q4 2022's amount of nearly $39 million.

For the total period of Cloud Imperium Games' existence, confirmed total revenue generated ended 2023 at $739.4 million, broken into the following categories:

• Sales/Pledges: $657.4 million (through 31 December 2023)
• Subscriptions: $27.8 million (through 31 December 2021)
• All other sources: $54.2 million (through 31 December 2021)

In addition, CIG received $63.25 million in venture capital funding, bringing total confirmed funding for the Squadron 42/Star Citizen project to $802.6 million.

But the big question is, was $117.6 million enough to fund CIG's plans without cutbacks? Probably not. Back in February I gathered up the publicly available information and estimated CIG needed between  $128.6 million and $134.6 million in sales based on what I knew about CIG's spending.

I can't get more specific because CIG has not posted its 2022 financial report on the company website. To make a better analysis, I need to see CIG's actual financial performance. I made some assumptions for 2022 and don't really want to go further until I see the reality on the ground. Assumptions change. For example, I assumed CIG planned on ending 2023 with a headcount of 1000 employees. The Turbulent acquisition itself pushed that number to around 1100. So my best guestimate is that CIG really needed at least $10 million more.

The next year is probably critical. If Squadron 42 sells half-way decently I think CIG should have enough funds to last until 2027 or 2028. CIG should last long enough to release the single player game for sale. Now I'm just following along to see how the funding plays out.