Star Citizen has crossed the $1 billion funding raised barrier — a significant milestone for the space sim that came shortly after a new $5,000 virtual spaceship you can't fly in-game went on sale.

Developer Cloud Imperium Games makes funding available to track publicly via its website, which shows revenue made down to the hour. The DefenseCon in-game event, which brings with it the release of new virtual spaceships, pushed funding over the $1 billion mark, with $6,624,741 raised in just one hour today, May 24.

Star Citizen is considered one of the most controversial projects in all video games. Over the 14 years since its crowdfunding drive began, Star Citizen has been called many things, including a scam by those who wonder whether it will ever properly launch. Its virtual space ships, some of which cost thousands of dollars, are often the focus of criticism. Some of the ships players buy aren’t even available to fly in-game.

And today’s financial milestone comes as a new spaceship priced $5,000 goes on sale — a spaceship you cannot currently fly in-game. The hotly anticipated Anvil Odin capital ship went on sale as a “limited vehicle concept pledge.” According to CIG, this means the ship is in development, but it is not yet ready to play in Star Citizen. It will be available as playable content in a later patch, CIG explained in a post on its website. You do get a loaner vehicle for use until the Anvil Odin is in the game, although there’s no release date for it.

“We offer pledge ships to help fund Star Citizen’s development,” CIG said. “These ships will be available for in-game credits and/or will be otherwise earnable through play in the final universe. They are not required to start or succeed at the game.”

This gargantuan Battlecruiser is 752m in length, 222m wide, and 213m in height, and is meant for a crew of 33-65+ players. Remarkably, in order to buy one you had to apply to become a member of the “Odin Founders Club.” This required writing an actual essay explaining why you want an Anvil Odin. Based on player reports, there are plenty who passed the test.

Successful applicants received a message congratulating them for gaining entry into the Odin Founders Club.

“Captaining a ship of this scale is a major undertaking built around leadership, coordination, and community, and we wanted the introduction of the Odin to reflect that spirit from the very beginning,” the message reads. “The Founders Club initiative was created to help recognize the groups, organizers, and players ready to bring those large-scale experiences to life throughout the ‘verse.

“The response to this initiative was genuinely incredible. We’ve received applications from captains all over the world, each sharing their stories, organizations, experiences, and visions for what commanding a battlecruiser in Star Citizen means to them.

“Now, you may complete your Odin Founders Club journey by pledging for this inaugural debut of the Anvil Aerospace Odin battlecruiser during DefenseCon 2956.

“The Odin represents a meaningful milestone for us internally, as its introduction closes out the final remaining vehicle stretch goals established at the very beginning of the project’s journey more than a decade ago.

“From the earliest crowdfunding days to today, the vision for Star Citizen has always been built around massive player-driven experiences, large-scale multicrew gameplay, and the communities that form around them. The Odin stands as a reflection of that vision continuing to take shape.”

The Odin is currently being sold in waves to “those that have passed the first phase of Odin Founders Club access.” This “limited stock” is priced at $5,000 for the Warbond, or $5,900 in store credit. In Star Citizen, a Warbond “pledge” is a discounted ship or item that can only be purchased using "new cash" (real-world money), rather than with store credits acquired from melting/exchanging previously owned ships.

Players are reporting successfully buying the Odin, and are taking to the game’s community to confirm their purchase. “I just bought a $5,000 ODIN Jpeg, AMA,” said one customer on the Star Citizen subreddit. "My condolences," reads one reply.

While Star Citizen is still without a release date, the single-player spinoff, Squadron 42, is due out this year. It’s from CIG chief Chris Roberts, who is known for creating the Wing Commander series. Like Wing Commander, Squadron 42 stars Mark Hamill, alongside other Hollywood heavy hitters such as Gillian Anderson, Henry Cavill, Gary Oldman, and Mark Strong.

In a new interview with Variety, Roberts suggested Squadron 42 was very close to launch, saying CIG was “in the closing stages” of development. He also compared it to James Cameron’s work on the Avatar franchise, expressing thanks at the time he’s had to work on the game.

“It feels pretty epic,” Roberts said. “I’m actually very excited for when people — because we’re right at the end now, we’re in the closing stages and it’s coming together really well. I’ve been very lucky as a creative because I’ve had the ability to take the time and have the funding to really do it. James Cameron had that when he was doing his Avatars. This is sort of like my version of it in games where I’ve had the time; I’ve been able to spend the time to get the tech. And so the vision that’s being delivered is really my imagination, my vision from the beginning, and that’s not something you always get the chance to do. So I’m pretty grateful for that, and I’m also very excited for people on the outside to experience it.”

Star Citizen is reportedly set for a full release sometime in 2027 or 2028, or as Roberts has put it, one or two years after the release of Squadron 42.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.