In a press release, studio head Chris Roberts offered some thoughts on why the team decided to make the change. Roberts said:
While this is likely good news for the future of Star Citizen, it’ll undoubtedly ruffle a few feathers among backers of the title. The game has already been delayed well past its original launch timeline, and the shift from CryEngine to Lumberyard will only add more wait time to an already long delay.
The announcement said the latest Star Citizen update, known as 2.6 Alpha, will run on Lumberyard. Naturally, there will be a few kinks that need to be worked out while the development team hones in on the abilities and limitations of Lumberyard, so players should likely expect some additional updates and fixes to come in the near future.
One of the newest modules for Star Citizen, dubbed Squadron 42, focuses on the single-player adventure aspect of the game. Originally due out this year, the module has since been delayed into 2017, a trend that’s become all too familiar for the space simulation game. Squadron 42 will make use of the Lumberyard engine when it’s released next year.
Hopefully the transition from CryEngine to Lumberyard will be smooth, and not cause any additional frustration for players. Time will tell how this change affects the overall potential of the title, and the timeline for its eventual full release.
What do you think about Star Citizen moving from CryEngine to Lumberyard?
Star Citizen is available now in a development state on PC.
