Squadron 42 gameplay video released; Star Citizen developer "confident" single-player element will launch in 2026

Something to look forward to: When the star-studded trailer for Star Citizen's single-player element, Squadron 42, dropped in 2018, the concept of a global pandemic seemed like sci-fi, Russia wasn't making the world worry, and Donald Trump was in his second year in office. Six years later and 12 years after the game's original Kickstarter, Squadron 42 still isn't here, but we've now been given a "confident" release date of 2026, along with an hour-long gameplay video.

Developer Cloud Imperium Games (CIG) showed off the extended clip of Squadron 42 at CitizenCon 2954 at Manchester, UK, over the weekend.

A lot of the video does bring to mind a modern version of the old Wing Commander games, which CIG boss Chris Roberts created. Players take on the role of a rookie pilot on board a capital ship, going on missions while forming relationships with other characters.

Wing Commander was a classic 90s series. Later games featured FMV scenes with stars such as Mark Hamill, Lord of the Rings' John Rhys-Davies, and Back to the Future's Thomas F. Wilson. This writer recalls adult film star Ginger Lynn Allen's appearance in Wing Commander 3.

Squadron 42 has a stellar Hollywood cast, including Gillian Anderson, Henry Cavill, Gary Oldman, and Mark Strong. The actors finished their performance capture for the game way back in 2015, so some might have forgotten they were even in it.

The gameplay demo is pretty heavy on the cutscenes, mixed in with on-rails turret action and a first-person shooting section at the end. It's fair to say that reaction to the video has been mixed.

Roberts said on stage that Squadron 42 will have 30 to 40 hours of gameplay. As for the elusive release date, Roberts and the team are "confident" it will arrive in 2026, so fans will be waiting at least a year and a few more months before trying out the final version. It's worth remembering that Squadron 42 was scheduled to launch in the summer of 2020, and in 2022, Roberts said the game was still one or two years away, so don't be surprised if we experience more delays.

There's still no release window for the main Star Citizen MMO game, which has now raised over $729 million in crowdfunding since the original Kickstarter in 2012, which raised over $2 million.