Chris Roberts, who helped define the space sim genre in computer games during the 1990s with his Wing Commander and Privateer franchises, is back in the cockpit again with a new title he says will change the way people perceive games for the PC and will breathe new life into space combat games.

Roberts’ re-entry into gaming comes after he spent more than a decade as a director and producer in the Hollywood film industry. In 1990, he introduced Wing Commander to the world of PC gaming and the franchise went on to sell millions of units and spawned multiple sequels, a feature film and another highly successful game franchise, Privateer.

Star Citizen, still in early development stages but already 12 months into production, will not require a subscription, but will not be free-to-play either. Roberts says the game will be available for a one-time purchase. And while players will be able to play in the Star Citizen universe for free, there will also be virtual items available for purchase with in-game credits so players can customize their ships and other items.

With mere hours from the end of Star Citizen’s crowd funding campaign we wanted to share some numbers with you:

• Kickstarter backers– 30,124
• Kickstarter funds pledged - $1,782,027
• Roberts Space Industries backers – 45,115
• Roberts Space Industries funds raised - $3,434,610
• Total backers – 75,239
• Total funds raised and pledged - $5,216,637