Star Citizen takes an in-depth look at progress for the Banu Merchantman as Alien Week kicks off

    
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This week’s episode of Star Citizen’s video series is an extra big one, which makes a measure of sense considering the latest video is taking a deep dive into the Banu Merchantman ship, the immense flying shopping mall that the team at CIG has been working on.

The video is all about the Merchantman, providing a look at the ship’s most recent greybox exterior and whitebox interior. No detail is spared as the devs walk through nearly the entirety of the craft, from the bridge to the medical ward to social areas, culminating in a look at one of the many floors where players will be able to eventually open up shop stalls. The devs note that a “skeleton crew” of two artists is currently working on the Merchantman, but soon more members of the team should be moved to the ship in order to refine it for full release – when that release will be wasn’t said.

The Merchantman spotlight has been the kickoff to SC’s Alien Week event that marks the in-game moment of first contact with the Banu race. The community event invites fans to talk about the languages of the game’s alien races, design an alien ship poster, and enter a competition to create alien-inspired drinks. The upcoming Star Citizen Live video will also be about aliens, pulling in lead concept artist Frederic Dupere for the creation of “something fun.”

Longtime MMORPG gamers will know that Star Citizen was originally Kickstarted for over $2M back in 2012 with a planned launch for 2014. As of 2022, it still lingers in an incomplete but playable alpha, having raised over $450M from gamers over years of continuing crowdfunding and sales of in-game ships and other assets. It is currently the highest-crowdfunded video game ever and has endured both indefatigable loyalty from advocates and immense skepticism from critics. A co-developed single-player title, Squadron 42, has also been repeatedly delayed.
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