Cloud Imperium Games took another step toward releasing its long-delayed science fiction adventure “Squadron 42” on Saturday, launching an official Steam store page and a new gameplay trailer ahead of an expected release in the second quarter of 2027.
The title is a standalone single-player spinoff set in the same fictional universe as “Star Citizen,” the sprawling multiplayer game that Cloud Imperium has developed for well over a decade. Players can now add the project to their Steam wishlist, marking one of the clearest public retail milestones for a title that has faced repeated delays since its initial unveiling.
A Star-Studded Galactic Campaign
According to developer materials and video footage released alongside the store page, “Squadron 42” is set in the year 2945 as the United Empire of Earth faces collapse under pressure from hostile aliens and criminal outlaws. Players take on the role of a rookie recruit in the empire’s navy, living aboard a massive military capital ship while rising through the ranks during an interstellar war.
The project pairs space combat flight simulation with ground-based first-person shooter missions, stealth mechanics, and interactive narrative decisions with fellow crew members, Eurogamer and Polygon reported. The title runs on StarEngine, Cloud Imperium’s proprietary internal technology.
Cloud Imperium has also assembled a high-profile Hollywood cast whose likenesses and voices were captured through full performance capture. The ensemble includes Mark Hamill, Gary Oldman, Gillian Anderson, Henry Cavill, Andy Serkis, Ben Mendelsohn, Mark Strong, Jonathan Bailey, John Rhys-Davies, Liam Cunningham, Damson Idris, Jane Perry, and Alix Wilton Regan.
Lengthy Development and Hardware Demands
Cloud Imperium, co-founded in 2012 by “Wing Commander” creator Chris Roberts and his wife Sandi Roberts, has faced scrutiny over release schedules for both “Star Citizen” and its single-player counterpart. Roberts stated in August that “Squadron 42” was pushed back from 2026 into the second quarter of 2027 so it would not compete directly with “Grand Theft Auto 6,” PC Gamer reported.
While “Star Citizen” has amassed more than $1 billion in community crowdfunding, an early access version that arrived in 2017 remains unfinished, drawing player complaints regarding software bugs and costly virtual items. Around the time of the latest trailer release, Cloud Imperium offered a limited concept pledge for a new virtual spaceship, the Anvil Odin capital ship, priced at $5,000, according to Eurogamer.
The newly unveiled Steam listing also outlined hardware requirements for the PC game, specifying a storage footprint of 150 gigabytes, PC Gamer reported.
Whether “Squadron 42” hits its projected second-quarter 2027 launch window remains to be seen, as Cloud Imperium has not yet announced a specific calendar release date or retail pricing.
