Star Citizen reaches initial funding goal of $2 million

Star Citizen's Kickstarter and external crowdfunding efforts have pushed it past Chris Roberts's major milestone of $2 million.

With 24 days on the clock, the game's Kickstarter has raised over $600,000 from about 13,500 backers, having passed its $500,000 goal in just a few days.

On the core funding platform, Roberts Space Industries, backers have been significantly more generous; just 16,000 or so have pledged nearly $1.5 million.

Together, the two platforms have bypassed the project's $2 million goal - although stretch goals have room for up to $5 million in total.

"I'm floored by the support we are receiving for Star Citizen," Roberts told Joystiq of the new milestone. Our fans have certainly showed that they are ready for a space sim that will provide the kind of PC gaming experience that I think has been missing in the genre for so many years."

Star Citizen may present backers with a playable alpha within as little as 12 months.