Ever since it first warped onto the scene, Star Citizen has been infamous for its rapacious monetisation. The game's development seems never-ending but, long before you could play it in any form, Roberts Space Industries would sell you all sorts of space-things: Like this mine-laying ship that cost over $600 before mine-laying was even a feature in the game.
Here's the thing about Star Citizen, though. Its devotees are fiercely loyal to Chris Roberts' vision and will loudly defend the game's monetisation, its protracted development, and whatever else the detractors take aim at. Those same detractors meanwhile, just point and laugh at folk who spaff $30,000 on virtual spaceships.
But this time Star Citizen has truly outdone itself, with what surely has to be the single most expensive DLC in history. Yes, they warned us that this was the next step after horse armour, and Roberts Space Industries has delivered: Star Citizen now offers a $48,000 Legatus bundle containing every ship in the game (you'd hope so, too). The description of the bundle is as follows:
PACKAGE - LEGATUS 2953
Ahead of all others, this definitive armada is an equal match to the noble title of Legatus Navium. Comprised of over 175 vessels from every manufacturer of note, this perfect collection, including all ships released and concepted through 2953, empowers every fleet commander to forge a lasting legacy, leading humanity towards a brighter future.
The Karna "Ascension" Rifle will be available in-game in Q1 2024.
Star Citizen has been flogging Legatus bundles since 2018 and they've always been notorious within the community for their pricing, with the first clocking in at a mere $27,000. The cherry on top? You can't even buy this thing unless you're already in the Chairman's Club, a level of access that is granted to those who've spent over $1,000 in the game already.
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Something about this feels as faintly obscene as it as absurd. Over on the Star Citizen subreddit the reaction is mainly one of amusem*nt, while it seems the "space peasants" label has become a self-applied badge of honor among the game's lower-paying customers.
I guess if you've got $48K to blow on pretend spaceships, then you do you. But there's no doubt that being a Star Citizen fan can certainly cost you an arm and a Legatus.
Rich Stanton
Rich is a games journalist with 15 years' experience, beginning his career on Edge magazine before working for a wide range of outlets, including Ars Technica, Eurogamer, GamesRadar+, Gamespot, the Guardian, IGN, the New Statesman, Polygon, and Vice. He was the editor of Kotaku UK, the UK arm of Kotaku, for three years before joining PC Gamer. He is the author of a Brief History of Video Games, a full history of the medium, which the Midwest Book Review described as "[a] must-read for serious minded game historians and curious video game connoisseurs alike."
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