Austin, Texas - April 8 2025 – Cloud Imperium Games (CIG) is excited to announce the recent release of Star Citizen Alpha 4.1: Orbital Assault, a significant milestone in the continued evolution of a shared, physicalized Universe of endless possibilities. Packed with immersive new gameplay elements and revolutionary technological advancements, Alpha 4.1 solidifies Star Citizen’s position as the most ambitious and immersive space simulation in gaming today.
Watch the Star Citizen Alpha 4.1: Orbital Assault Trailer: https://youtu.be/NArGjlRFsQQ
Fight from Planet to the Stars in Alpha 4.1: Orbital Assault
- Laser Quest: A brand-new multi-stage sandbox event will challenge players like never before. Seamlessly battle new fauna in the sands of Daymar before carving a path to an orbital platform for an epic combined-arms showdown.
- A Curious Collector: An enigmatic new NPC has arrived in the Stanton system, in search of rare minerals and discoverable, rumor has it he offers the highest tier loot and rewards to those with the goods.
- Crossroads of Crime: A brand-new Arena Commander ‘Crossroads of Crime’ map featuring three major bases and interconnected playscapes. Supporting game modes such as Free Flight, Elimination, Team Elimination, Gun Rush, Single Weapon Elimination, and Tank Royale, this map adds fresh competitive depth to Arena Commander.
- Quality of Life Enhancements: Improved kiosk interactions, enhanced item recovery mechanics, and significant backend optimizations ensure smoother gameplay.
Immersion through Technology: Pushing the Boundaries of Character Customization
One of the defining milestones within Star Citizen Alpha 4.1: Orbital Assault is the completion of the major content expansion of the Character Creator’s gene pool through photogrammetric data, which now incorporates 60 newly scanned heads. This initiative, spanning a year and a half, has resulted in a fully inclusive set of options for players to use to represent themselves in the Star Citizen universe. This fully integrated Character Creator allows for player control over avatar design, using cutting-edge technology to achieve lifelike genetic inheritance, enhanced facial animation fidelity, and deeper personalization options.
Sean Tracy: A Driving Force Behind Star Citizen’s Core Technology and Tools
One of the key architects behind Star Citizen’s ongoing technological advancements is Sean Tracy, Senior Tools and Tech Director at Cloud Imperium Games. Tracy has played a pivotal role in shaping the Core Technology Group (CTG) and ensuring that Star Citizen remains at the forefront of game development innovation.
Tracy’s recent technical contributions to Star Citizen’s Alpha 4.1 release include:
- Character gene-pool expansion through photogrammetric data, incorporating 60 newly scanned heads, dramatically expanding character creation possibilities.
- Enhancing the Character Creation pipeline, refining facial realism, and improving performance.
- Directing the release of Crossroads of Crime into Arena Commander, a significant content addition that expands competitive multiplayer gameplay.
- Developed and recently updating the first-of-its-kind Face Over Internet Protocol (FOIP) technology, which introduced real-time facial tracking for player avatars, setting a new standard in player immersion.
- Innovating content creation tools and pipelines, streamlining the development process to enable faster iteration and higher-fidelity assets across Star Citizen’s expanding universe.
Raising the Bar for the Industry: The Future of Star Citizen
Thanks to these advancements, Star Citizen’s player base has surged past 1 million unique players in 2024, logging over 32 million hours of gameplay.
With Squadron 42 in development and continuous enhancements to Star Citizen’s Persistent Universe, Tracy remains a key architect of the game’s future, ensuring Cloud Imperium Games continues to lead the industry in game technology and immersive experiences.
For further information, including how to download and play Star Citizen Alpha 4.1: Orbital Assault, visit the official website. For continued updates, follow Star Citizen on Facebook, Instagram, Twitch, X, and YouTube.
Media Contact:
Cloud Imperium Games PR Team
Email: press@cloudimperiumgames.com
About Cloud Imperium Games
Cloud Imperium Games is the independent studio behind Star Citizen and Squadron 42, dedicated to pushing the boundaries of game development and interactive storytelling. Founded by legendary game designer Chris Roberts, CIG is committed to creating the most ambitious space simulation universe ever built.
About Sean Tracy
Sean Tracy has been shaping the future of game development for over fifteen years, specializing in game engine technology, technical art, and real-time development pipelines. Since 2014, he has been a driving force behind Star Citizen and Squadron 42 at Cloud Imperium Games (CIG), where he serves as Senior Director of Tools and Tech Content. Based in Austin, Texas, Sean leads the technical art, technical animation, and tools programming departments across CIG’s global studios, Sean worked for Crytek in Germany and in the U.S. playing a major role in the research, development, testing and engineering of its world leading game engine technology CryEngine. He worked within the CryEngine team during the development of Crysis Wars, Crysis 2, Crysis 3, Ryse: Son of Rome and Warface.
About Chris Roberts
Chris Roberts is the creative visionary behind Star Citizen and Squadron 42. He co-founded Cloud Imperium Games in April 2012 and has overseen its rise to a leading independent AAA studio. Roberts has consistently set the industry standard for entertainment from the acclaimed Wing Commander series in the 1990s through to titles such as Starlancer and Freelancer.