CitizenCon 2954 Lands in Manchester, U.K., Oct. 19-20, Bringing Fans Together for Two Days of Events and a Look at the Future of the ‘Verse
Cloud Imperium Games Delivers Most Expansive and Immersive In-Person Community Event To-Date, with Exclusive Reveals Showcasing Upcoming Content and the StarEngine Technology Powering its Creation
MANCHESTER, UK – 16 Oct 2024 – Cloud Imperium Games (CIG) today announced new details for CitizenCon 2954, the annual celebration of their growing community of supporters and universe of the in-development MMO Star Citizen and their much anticipated narrative single-player space adventure, Squadron 42. Taking place in Manchester, U.K., on Oct. 19-20, the in-person event will have a massive physical presence this year hosted at Manchester Central, where nearly 5,000 attendees will explore an interior themed after the UEE’s iconic Bengal Carrier, connect with fellow fans, and can attend live presentations from developers that will be simultaneously broadcast online for the global community.
Fans can watch the CitizenCon 2954 livestream on the Star Citizen Twitch and YouTube channels when the Keynote begins at 10:00am BST / 11:00am CEST on Saturday, Oct. 19, with the show ending at 18:00pm BST / 19:00pm CEST. Day two will return on Sunday, Oct. 20 from 10:00am - 15:00pm BST / 11:00am -16:00pm CEST. All of the presentations and content broadcast during the event can be viewed on the Star Citizen YouTube channel after the event concludes.
“CitizenCon coming to Manchester is a return home and we’re thrilled to host and meet with so many members from our wonderful community this coming weekend. It really is one of the biggest highlights of the year for many of us,” said Chris Roberts, Chairman and CEO of Cloud Imperium Games. “An incredible amount of effort from everyone went into creating a memorable experience for attendees, from the massive scale custom-built Hornet to the presentations of what we’ve been working on behind the scenes, and a few special surprises. We can’t wait to reveal what the future of the ‘verse holds for our fans.”
CitizenCon is an annual fan-focused convention hosted by CIG, bringing Citizens from around the world together physically and digitally to celebrate their shared passion for the ‘verse and learn about the latest major updates coming to CIG’s titles. Hosted in Manchester, home to development offices for CIG, this year’s convention includes a week of build-up with community-organized Bar Citizen events culminating on Friday, Oct. 18, with the temporary closure of historic New Wakefield Street for a community takeover.
During CitizenCon fans can explore two halls themed after the UEE’s mighty Bengal Carrier, with locations for meetups, food, lounges, and community run booths for fans to explore and meet their fellow Citizens. CIG will host a variety of developer-led talks throughout the show, giving fans an exclusive look at exciting new content coming to Star Citizen and a glimpse behind the scenes at the technology powering the ‘verse.
“A huge amount of skill goes into the creation of any game, and the tools used in the process are as important as that of the developers themselves. We want to give our community a broader look behind the curtain at what we’ve been building to help give our talented designers, artists, and programmers the right tools they need to create a truly immersive experience,” said Sean Tracy, Senior Director of Tools and Tech Content at Cloud Imperium Games. “Our teams are extremely excited to showcase some of the amazing advancements we’ve made with our internal tech and the StarEngine to ensure everything functions to-scale as our universe continues to expand.”
CitizenCon 2954 lands in Manchester and opens its carrier doors, promising a weekend of exciting information and reveals including:
- Now Boarding, the UEES Barbary: Attendees will step into a convention center themed after one of the jewels of the United Earth Empire Navy, and community favorite, the Bengal Fleet Carrier. The two halls are modeled after hangar bays on the carrier, Hall A hosting the main stage for presentations and Hall B hosting fan gatherings, lounges, community booths, and more to explore in the multi-level layout. It’s not a hangar without a ship, and this year a massive, custom built F7C Hornet will be docked in Hall B as a centerpiece for photos and more. When CitizenCon departs, the model will remain as an art installation in the city of Manchester marking the occasion.
- Day 1 Shows The People and Places in the ‘Verse: Shortly after the opening ceremony, developer panels will start at quantum speed with “Brave New Worlds”, a presentation focused on the in-house StarEngine, with a birds-eye view of the new Genesis suite of technology designed to breathe life into immersive worlds at high levels of fidelity at a universal scope. Following, “A Social Universe” will feature a look at some of the tools that will allow players to connect and communicate with friends and their orgs seamlessly across the ‘verse. “Dressed to Kill” will showcase new character-focused specializations to further define each unique Citizen and help them take on the challenges of the verse, and will feature the return of a CitizenCon legend from years past. The final presentation of the day, “Beyond Pyro”, will look at in-development gameplay locations beyond the Stanton and Pyro systems, and how developers are using new tools to improve new and existing locations in the game.
- Closing Day 1 with a Look Ahead: Space is full of mystery and surprises, be sure to stick around as day one concludes with a special unannounced presentation that fans of CIG and Star Citizen will not want to miss!
- Day 2 Looks to the Future of the ‘Verse: Day two continues with “Crafting Your Home”, which promises to introduce a major shift to the gameplay experience in Star Citizen and how players interact with resources. The “Captains of Industry” panel will introduce developers involved in the creation of the fleet of in-game vehicles revealing ships that will be coming to the game in future updates, including some more imminent surprises and ships expected to delight longtime community members. To close out the day, Senior Game Director Rich Tyrer will lead the “The Stars Are My Destination: Star Citizen 1.0” panel, outlining how everything discussed throughout the weekend will be combined for the first truly immersive sci-fi MMO as it continues development.
- Stay in Orbit at “ENTER ATMOSPHERE 2954” hosted by ATMO Esports: CitizenCon’s end doesn’t mean Citizens need to return to earth just yet. Community organization ATMO Esports will be hosting ENTER ATMOSPHERE 2954 starting at 12:00am PT, at the Factory International in Manchester. The event promises an incredible experience with ship racing exhibitions, a panel featuring CIG guests, the Fight or Flight World Championship Finals, culminating in a trophy presentation with chairman Chris Roberts.
For more details on CitizenCon 2954 including the full schedule, visit the dedicated site here. Fans from around the world can watch live on the Star Citizen Twitch Channel and on the Star Citizen YouTube channel upon conclusion of the event. CitizenCon 2954 Digital Goodie Packs featuring a massive collection of in-game accouterments are available for purchase online.
Star Citizen combines classic space sim and FPS gameplay with boundary-pushing visuals in a massively multiplayer setting of unprecedented fidelity. Live how you want to live: shift paths from cargo hauler to outlaw, explorer, or any other role whenever you want. Explore multiple planets and moons, including vast cities and underground caverns, all created with a unique combination of procedural planet technology and complementary hand-crafted design.
For further information, including how to download and play Star Citizen, visit the official website. Enlist today and join this ever-expanding universe by visiting the game’s Welcome Hub and Guide System for tips on how to play. Keep up to date with Star Citizen development via the game’s Progress Tracker and Roadmap. Millions of players from around the world have already joined to help CIG build the most ambitious game ever made. For continued updates, follow Star Citizen on Facebook, Instagram, Twitch, X, and YouTube.
About Cloud Imperium Games
Cloud Imperium Games is a new kind of independent studio dedicated to delivering AAA games outside the established publisher system. It was founded in 2012 by renowned visionary game developer Chris Roberts (Wing Commander series, Freelancer, Privateer), Sandi Gardiner, and international media lawyer and producer Ortwin Freyermuth (Carlito’s Way, Shattered, Das Boot - Director’s Cut), with industry veteran and studio director Erin Roberts (Lego videogame series, Starlancer, Privateer) joining the team in 2013. Cloud Imperium Games is creating Star Citizen, a record-shattering, largely crowdfunded space sim, and Squadron 42, a Hollywood-caliber, story-driven single-player game set in the same universe. Cloud Imperium Games operates in “open development” – sharing progress and updates in near real time. This paradigm-shifting development process (game development usually occurs behind closed doors) gives the community an unprecedented look at Star Citizen and Squadron 42’s development and allows direct feedback and interaction between players and developers, thereby ensuring that the games being developed are what players want to play.
