Star Citizen developer plans 1000-person mega studio in Manchester • Eurogamer.net

Star Citizen and Squadron 42 developer Cloud Imperium Games plans to open a massive new studio in Manchester, making it one of the UK’s biggest development houses.

The new office is slated to open in May 2022 and relocate the company’s current 400-person team based near Wilmslow, before expanding quickly and significantly.

A five-year plan will see 700 people fill the building by 2023, before further growth to a revealing team size of 1,000 by 2026.

All of this, of course, is fueled by the very lucrative ongoing development of Star Citizen that has sparked various controversies over the years – as well as over $ 350 million in player funding. The studio also still has nebulous plans for a “Hollywood caliber” Squadron 42 single-player campaign.

CIG currently employs 700 people worldwide, with additional offices in Los Angeles, Austin, Frankfurt and Montreal. Today’s announcement means the entire company will almost double in size over the next five years, with most of the staff based in the UK.

“The company is committed to game development in the UK and has invested in the growth of its Manchester studio to serve as the pivotal team for its large-scale game plans,” CIG said today. “The new Manchester studio will begin its local recruitment efforts in early 2022, with positions available for programmers, artists, animators, audio specialists, writers, designers and producers, as well as in administrative roles and entry-level positions for newcomers looking to get into the video game industry. “

Even Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham looks happy.

“Greater Manchester is an ambitious tech hub and has become a magnet for digital talent, with a community of industry pioneers, specialist academics and creative minds,” said Burnham. “We look forward to welcoming Cloud Imperium Games to the city-region in 2022 – with the aim of creating 1,000 jobs over the next five years, as well as the opportunity for the region to play a new role in the future. Game.”

“Manchester is where I started my video game career, when I was hired to write game of the month for BBC Micro User in 1983 at the age of 14,” added the boss. from CIG, Chris Roberts. “It makes me very happy to announce that we have signed a long term agreement for our largest office to date in Manchester city center.”