Star Citizen has raised $21 million, unlocking the 'salvage' career path

As I climbed into the news cockpit this morning, I noticed the familiar flashing of the deep red alert siren. If anything, the warnings were becoming more frequent: a foreboding sign of the future. This time it had been silent for just nine days . Still, that's the life we chose; we knew the risks when we signed up for this job. We knew that periodically - nay, regularly - Star Citizen would make yet another million dollars.

Chris Roberts and his crew have now raised an unprecedented $21 million in crowdfunding for their multiplayer space sim. As Roberts explains , "Your support is now allowing the project to expand on ideas in ways we didn't originally think possible. Every additional pledge makes Star Citizen a better experience. At the $21 million, you unlock the full salvage mechanic, which allows us to produce the assets needed to make salvaging an in-depth game mechanic akin to exploration or piracy!"

Thanks to the new total, salvaging will be a full career path. Using the flight and FPS elements of the game, you'll search the universe looking for secrets and cargo. The announcement even suggests that you could be the first to make contact with a new alien race.

The Star Citizen team have also announced the $23 million stretch goal: a playable "Xi'an" scout ship that will be unlocked when that total is inevitably hit:

"Xi'an ship design will be focused on a vertical aesthetic and maneuvering jets that can combine to thrust in multiple directions. Gimbaled, larger-than-normal thrusters sit on the four points of a star in the centerline, allowing each thruster unobstructed hemispherical coverage. The Xi'an scout can rotate on all axes and direct four thrusters to the rear or front! Because of this configuration the Xi'an ship has superb linear maneuvering abilities on all axes. This extra maneuverability comes at a cost however. Xi'an ships favor maneuverability over heavy armament or defensive protection."

You can find more details at Star Citizen over at the game's website .

Phil has been writing for PC Gamer for nearly a decade, starting out as a freelance writer covering everything from free games to MMOs. He eventually joined full-time as a news writer, before moving to the magazine to review immersive sims, RPGs and Hitman games. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2. He's largely responsible for the whole Tub Geralt thing, but still isn't sorry.