PC space sim Star Citizen reaches an astonishing $37 million

Star Citizen, the upcoming PC space sim from Wing Commander creator Chris Roberts and developer Cloud Imperium Games, has now raised $37 million from fans. To put that into context, Tim Schafer said last night that 2009 game Brutal Legend cost $25 million to develop.

At press time, funding stands at $37,019,348 from 367,834 total backers.

That's not the only milestone Roberts announced, as he also said players have now created more than 4,900 Organizations just 12 hours after the new system went live last night. The web-based Organization system is a clan offering of sorts that will be updated on a regular basis going forward.

"The breadth of the Star Citizen community continues to astonish: you’ve taken up our charge and are creating something truly unique," Roberts said.

Now that Star Citizen has raised $37 million, players have unlocked the new Tanga System, which lies at the heart of an "unusual" rectangular planetary nebula. A second new system, the UDS-2943-01-22 System, will also now be available to players.

Finally, you can now vote for the final system stretch goal at the game's website, which will be locked if funding reaches $39 million. The options are: Lost Human Colony, Tevarin Ghost World, and Xi'An Science Outpost.

"Thank you for your continued support. Whether you’re part of a thousand-person Organization or planning to explore the galaxy on your own, 2014 is going to be the biggest year yet for Star Citizen," Roberts said.

Star Citizen is the most successful crowdfunded project of any kind in history. The game is expected to officially launch sometime later this year.