Star Citizen developer opens Santa Monica office

Chris Roberts’ Cloud Imperium Games has opened a new studio in Santa Monica.

The office will help with development on upcoming space faring title Star Citizen, which has raised more than $8.6 million through crowdfunding since October 2012.

The new studio will house up to 20 staff, and will form part of a development team that spans Montreal, Austin, Texas and LA.

“I’m a big believer in utilising small, very focused development groups,” said Roberts.

“Each studio is working on key features of the game. In Santa Monica we’re working on some of the high-end creative elements, the structuring of our game engine and publishing. Other studios are working on technology, game design and production, customer support and web development.

“We couldn’t be more pleased with hanging our shingle up in Santa Monica. It’s an incredibly creative community here already with a lot of game development and art resources all around us. We’re reaching out to fill positions for the new office already.”