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[[File:CIG office without staff and with missing equipment at the start of the COVID-19 transition period ot work from home.png|thumb|CIG office without [[Development team|staff]] and with missing equipment at the start of the COVID-19 transition period of work from home]]
The '''COVID-19 pandemic''', also known as the '''coronavirus pandemic''', is a global pandemic which started in 2019 and affected how [[StarCitizen:Star Citizen|''Star Citizen'']] was developed from 2020 to 2022.

== Transition ==
In order to reduce the risk of infection and slow down the rate of infection, many countries introduced among others quarantines, moratoriums against large gatherings and stay-at-home orders for non-essential activities, leading to remote work where possible.<ref>"[https://www.fightchronicdisease.org/resources/covid-19-informational-resources-high-risk-groups COVID-19 Informational Resources for High-Risk Groups | Keeping Education ACTIVE | Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease]". ''fightchronicdisease.org''. Retrieved 31 May 2020.</ref><ref>Nussbaumer-Streit B, Mayr V, Dobrescu AI, Chapman A, Persad E, Klerings I, et al. (September 2020). "[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8133397/ Quarantine alone or in combination with other public health measures to control COVID-19: a rapid review]". ''The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews''. '''2020''' (9): CD013574. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD013574.pub2. ISSN 1469-493X. PMC 8133397. <nowiki>PMID 33959956</nowiki>.</ref><ref>CDC (11 February 2020). "[https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-briefs/sars-cov-2-transmission.html Scientific Brief: SARS-CoV-2 Transmission"]. ''U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)''. Retrieved 10 May 2021</ref>

[[StarCitizen:Cloud Imperium|Cloud Imperium Games]] began the transition to work from home in March 2020.<ref name=":5">[https://youtu.be/fHEknekueoc?t=675 Star Citizen Live: Audio Team Roundtable], YouTube, 16 Apr 2021</ref><ref>{{Cite RSI|url=https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/17805-Letter-From-The-Chairman|text=Letter from the Chairman|accessdate=2020-10-10}}</ref>

CIG was already structured for distributed development across the world.<ref name=":4">[https://youtu.be/qSZiOxyVGmI Inside Star Citizen: Personal Systems | Winter 2020], YouTube, 19 Mar 2020</ref><ref name=":2" /> It was necessary to figure out who needs what to work from home and what is or isn't working quiete right.<ref name=":2" />

From a publishing standpoint, pretty much everything is done via remote delivery systems anyway even within the office itself.<ref name=":2" />

The transition from office to work from home took about a week and was easier than anticipated.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMal_yo4Tww&t=2819s Star Citizen Live: Sounds of a Life in Space], YouTube, 19 Jun 2020</ref>

Steps were taken to ensure that everyone was healthy and doing alright and needs to be checked in on, what are people mental states.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":2" />

== Recruitment ==
Some people joined CIG because the pandemic had affected their previous work.<ref name=":0" />

[[StarCitizen:Development team|Turbulent]] would go to conventions, events, universities, to recruit, but the pandemic closed a lot of that.<ref>[https://youtu.be/ZSHzjAqAJq4 Star Citizen Live: From Montreal With Love], YouTube, 24 Mar 2023</ref>

==Work from home==
People would normally meet in the workplace and greet each other even without reasons to talk to each other for work purposes, however while working from home people would have no reason to know someone they don't work with directly exists.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ok02j8cfPY&t=2785s Star Citizen Live: The Bot Whisperer], YouTube, 30 Sept 2022</ref>

Audio teams had to take into acoustics at home, working from their spare rooms or dining rooms for example.<ref name=":5" />

With people having their families at home some time was needed by people to teach their kids themselves due to schools being closed, or to take care of their kids while daycare was closed.<ref name=":2" />

Because of the pandemic a lot of people have been working remote from home, and those recruited during the pandemic were meeting their colleagues in person for the first time only once the pandemic ended after having already worked together for a while.<ref>[https://youtu.be/qRACQpkDDDU Star Citizen Live: Navigating Narrative], YouTube, 17 Feb 2023</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oAePxoHGk4&t=3150s Star Citizen Live: Taking Flight], YouTube, 21 Oct 2022</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4Hm0lDOyz8&t=165s Inside Star Citizen: Meshing Together Part 1], YouTube, </ref>

[[StarCitizen:Paul Ah-Thion]] found that work from home was more suitable to his needs as a disabled person.<ref name=":7">[https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/cloud-imperium-games-discriminated-against-disabled-employee-with-return-to-office-policy Tribunal finds Cloud Imperium Games discriminated against disabled employee with return-to-office policy], gamedeveloper.com, July 1, 2024</ref>

== Consequences ==
[[File:Cloud Imperium Games COVID 19 Mask.jpg|thumb|Cloud Imperium Games COVID 19 Mask]]
*The VPN was an issue at first as it wasn't built to have so many people working from home use it so much.<ref name=":2" />
*Internet speeds and data caps were problematic, with game builds being 60 Gigabytes having to be tested daily.<ref name=":2" />
*Security and risk of exposure and data loss had to be taken care of as well.<ref name=":2" />
*Episodes of [[StarCitizen:Whitley’s Guide|Whitley's Guide]] took longer to produce due to safety procedures.<ref>[https://youtu.be/0kLQM4SxXQg?feature=shared&t=794 Star Citizen: The IAE Show Episode 4], Star Citizen, Youtube, 1 december 2024</ref>
*Once quarantine was declared, a hold had to be put on some things requiring a group of people working together in a shared and confined space.<ref name=":1" /> This includes for example [[StarCitizen:motion capture]].<ref>{{Cite RSI|url=https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/17721-Squadron-42-Monthly-Report-July-2020|text=Squadron 42 Monthly Report: July 2020|accessdate=2020-08-12}}</ref>
*Shows such as [[StarCitizen:Calling All Devs]], [[StarCitizen:Star Citizen Live]] or [[StarCitizen:Inside Star Citizen]] featured a lot more home offices.<ref name=":4" />
*Remote communication wasn't the same as in person,<ref name=":2" /> with the missing benefits of spontaneous collaboration and team building that comes from working in person, near each other, such as the ability to walk over to someone’s desk and see the issue or having a conversation in passing about a problem or a creative thought.<ref>[https://youtu.be/5V-pCrB2NLM?t=2242 Star Citizen Live: Rivers and Tech and Bugs, Oh My!], YouTube, 24 Feb 2023</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite RSI|url=https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/18696-Letter-From-The-Chairman|text=Letter from the Chairman|accessdate=2022-05-18}}</ref>
*When everyone is working remotely it becomes more of a slog to problem solve on the fly, or easily get or give feedback, which results in far more meetings / video calls<ref name=":3" />
*It took CIG a little longer to get each [[StarCitizen:Patch notes|patch]] out than before, and it became harder to solve or fix bugs which hung around longer than previously. This trend was seen in the gaming industry as a whole, with pretty much any large title being delayed, or in some unfortunate cases released before they should have been.<ref>Schreier, Jason (21 April 2020). "[https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/21/technology/personaltech/coronavirus-video-game-production.html Gaming Sales Are Up, but Production Is Down]". ''The New York Times''. Retrieved 22 April 2020.</ref><ref name=":3" />
*The transitioning to a new work-from-home environment caused some delays.<ref>{{Cite RSI|url=https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/spectrum-dispatch/17557-Roadmap-Roundup-April-17th-2020|text=Roadmap Roundup - April 17th, 2020|accessdate=2020-04-17}}</ref>
*Visits of the studios by players were stopped for the duration of the pandemic.<ref>[https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1944241914?t=01h04m52s Interview de Nicou, nouveau Community Manager Francophone : venez poser vos questions !"], StarCitizenFrancophone, Twitch, 7 October 2023</ref>
*CIG strategic report from the end of 2022 mentions that the economic and competitive environment was expected to remain challenging during 2023 as global economies navigated the post pandemic recovery. It also mentions that the economic risks associated with Covid and [[StarCitizen:Brexit]] continued to decline and were now considered to be part of the ordinary course of business.<ref name=":6">[https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/document-api-images-live.ch.gov.uk/docs/MmwZ-w1CJTlFNq0lBHKl5rMMGycHvn5vxQox-w0hVQI/application-pdf?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAWRGBDBV3OXWS6HPD%2F20240315%2Feu-west-2%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20240315T014206Z&X-Amz-Expires=60&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEHQaCWV1LXdlc3QtMiJHMEUCIDlSK0JSjX0MX5fqweo33D1a1bdSNzryLHjReuBMt5fxAiEAn%2F753py4eTrOgsJtAYRZe7S6zSiTSjLPUQUf%2FASx2XkquwUIfRAFGgw0NDkyMjkwMzI4MjIiDPsK152PeeCSZZ14%2FSqYBZ4FJ3urfYJtArXa6gHxGv9FxRF%2BpT4b1hFjXtjYWqNEOqRV2PhwiqtZUh3QrcR0Zb%2BMEB%2FP8rzp7VwCr1T%2F8l%2FbJKnmpUeh%2F8QdisVgWpatA14RRIkqRV%2BVnZzkazAxqbPF3t4o0MN7i4R%2Fap9vXcdtD3UjzncZVdNkRfhgEinSskNBUUKK69weXyrvaBKH0YRdo4tlN4fRLZJDRET%2F6wPlTuXBSrb7Klov4rAbOpIXQ21A8DW9jL10LTSTw08PgXmDAPbqM%2Bj%2Fa1CMLJtu7IYXhFsGec6ROTfQwCdDPANPydIs%2BjFDbGPvg%2BR9SW3ZPx%2F%2Bn1%2F4pXXAb8kOj58jbwDQ2KcQXd6Os%2FL3ybcuW7BUX3KrktRoeJBTY5SCyO%2FpLRpNiyw20xPJQjRY8M8WYRzt8Edrgrdei4QivR9DN2Syv9WRDYUa4q2wlccSAlVMvT4MhFIEtEIsAsLqt0TXt0YudXuw0tSWqlyXNYG3iKmSUadepG2dyPmWPYx8JZ%2BodMIS1jz6Kj0HAwEq0xT3JqOygMsTBtHDV33tJC5FEzKVbF%2BFMc1vnmGYQvxd6UB9HaKoAWhT%2FQmkVoox9T%2BPz0HI%2FDa%2F9pBCo7%2BCvrvx38Uqy80zdauhEqr63%2BPL6OaweDKYlFB8zFseXeDViUbFUI6gzPdwreumahEMjzaQ%2BG9SDzM7FrZ4JNgeR9ugBLTgc%2FxMbj73oZ%2BhCrpZ53A14kou2%2FHaYEI8JoDZHn6JwsjT%2BBDr35ZhlfZL8AJRk1ClbvlbmBP5Ojf%2F4vIZUCw6F517NAFrnQQZVlXkTy3hvC9tEI7tm7WripJrWbmK8EhltvhlrV2e88IU%2BI7%2FlugT%2FYXjrmoKBTtlB8HS9nDDD9RBFHdr%2Fetp2qQw3ajNrwY6sQHZoBVqbQ3H10mYjfSdhCImPf4xL3%2F2%2FCICLNr1OCM4LBXnR1eZR0ZQm5QXK%2BjZybT1QNd6HPDccqfX3CQbRz91gDmDAtF4CdznBizdmjKTGvSOnMR8nylCTdCucc3%2FQH9Yw1jsQbARt6Hy5ybf6vkoR0Ln3Ejh6ZTpdLoO9tk4DIqMCjFpUtwtUu6uTuX8UbZvUEDQpy%2BbtH4PAnsOdPB4dmYDZeb%2FImX9E1z3jOKEO3I%3D&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&response-content-disposition=inline%3Bfilename%3D%22companies_house_document.pdf%22&X-Amz-Signature=2b997d23d3c24896652b7038f0330be8b0b0033b5e8e8b5b4365351ffab844e3 Cloud Imperium UK Ltd, Annual Report and group financial statements for the year ended 31 december 2022]</ref>
*A reduction in carbon footprint, due to remote work and minimal business travel.<ref name=":6" />
*CIG ditributed a [[StarCitizen:COVID-19 mask]] to its employees.<ref>[https://discord.com/channels/1065714095992606720/1067181199421874267/1075175169951289424 Star Collector discord], 02/14/2023</ref>
*The pandemic period created a surge in gaming, following which the gaming market declined since 2022 and has delivered only modest growth since.<ref name=":8">[https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/document-api-images-live.ch.gov.uk/docs/P-8K4kviHH18u4CWdKky3pdln4ll74pf6rXwLPXzBig/application-pdf?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAWRGBDBV3LXQHUMOA%2F20250824%2Feu-west-2%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20250824T071059Z&X-Amz-Expires=60&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEOb%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEaCWV1LXdlc3QtMiJHMEUCIGIrHdSXYVneKdpqEgtHh0hCx0oa9dTZ803Jx1WIzKZiAiEAkQgL3Ye5ABZdN8tpzpR898RYV%2F73qaDv1mockfbipWEquwUIPxAFGgw0NDkyMjkwMzI4MjIiDCyWBtRh3bvfXx0WwyqYBY45n%2FU2oMlPPeKCW%2BYpK3dt8Xp1V1Ny8s%2BO%2FVGhvdAKF7LoPv4wVBoC7mmxVS0UwHsZX38tgGf8q%2BHoIb54OPLTs3tdnm1Xag%2FLayPfz8TTyqc9xdoG3PGdQfFUiB1GO1p2NrAPE5Qhsw%2FbIEKXOzPMslMoaxyDbOXkAdsEyqIRtQ3N99dwJm9UwawRby%2FhRiyRelsQ82rHXiaimIaeogAP4F6AO%2BffCpBDm%2BkFS6BWYyfxbSRc2B85RSq8QWK9t6Ln6cAgH4GIn%2FClDVBxlNlQC6iYA6%2Fx1Ri4NKh1SHwnENpKDJojj3Fl3wflBOprdPZcyQchbpXJMP7q1OnW6Xz3kG9FiaIz1gBNkKzroYxiM3SX1vHjDaE6fBVAnxreA%2B3EA9i77FxKMiDTWUi2mzSrbC84V9vHMDel%2F6jHqN2qzP2RRJSg3%2Br%2F87Ctfr75u2u9L8dz8wxnBW2s1EQUXUeq%2FAFQQhlybAZj8jGuQUb%2Fw%2F3%2FGdICNGBSoN067IWxLT0CUvJrCRaynMQU7y2LVsGhA7EDueYhCJdJkeap9K90KQszNXQHdsAB%2FoKOLwaz9ZMXC4Vf%2FSbGVprMXL8adCvQ5l8PNUU0oZhzDQ9NUzRwWgM1mRT%2BZESzEQLYQH0F4agojmNc3j5uI%2BI1OkmDURrrKyOKwVAcCPYB8nnYJYxZ33IaS00s0rh9tIjjtBV6SDFoV4BuiSgWH%2BiyC5OauEoEhuZvsC3AG%2FabkosN2KZZjMA8E9j7q92ufLG0jyUgIyW9%2BB6xfOIe6eiXvw4Z2iEKZwrSurTZ%2FE7mNBRNoXHU4Q%2BbbeFjB7uUtBrQPRM9UuJVqQsNAkd3Wvto7vVeFs0f7EzS0uvTuZcHeKkYHRHo3q4rjk06Qegw%2B8OqxQY6sQH9c0Jrwkyx0dyXEhfsSsBdWuh%2BiLez3XEytIg3F6XYayiYnx8qy0gyhnnszUwnJqC%2FI2lQXOyitsAwzBEU%2B2rWtjSkORX3IDA3njidITgyNTExvuLa8edWDunjGlwOC8O93MtGbQwe7LdALJmFGg3hULH7%2FBic6Nd7Q2f4ZxLaEgkSuLHBbf3FMb4lGxOU8HHJe5R%2BDKx05WXF6EdMEUc4a1qmsaqapqzRWWyZN65Vx4E%3D&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&response-content-disposition=inline%3Bfilename%3D%22companies_house_document.pdf%22&X-Amz-Signature=8c3e3898d0f6b00dc7dd11a9f363f21745fa6d30a75c45ecea8fbd2209a7070b Cloud Imperium Games Limited, Annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024], UK companies house, 20 Aug 2025</ref>
*The change in the growth rate of the sector translated into a more competitive market space.<ref name=":8" />
==Live events==
[[StarCitizen:CitizenCon 2020]] scheduled in Los Angeles was cancelled due to a moratorium against large gatherings, not to mention travel issues during quarantine,<ref>Burns J, Movsisyan A, Stratil JM, Biallas RL, Coenen M, Emmert-Fees KM, et al. (Cochrane Public Health Group) (March 2021). "[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8406796/ International travel-related control measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic: a rapid review]". ''The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews''. '''2021''' (3): CD013717. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD013717.pub2. PMC 8406796. <nowiki>PMID 33763851</nowiki>. S2CID 232356197.</ref><ref>{{Cite RSI|url=https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/17567-CitizenCon-2950-UpdateEpic|text=CitizenCon 2950 Update|accessdate=2020-05-01}}</ref> while [[StarCitizen:CitizenCon 2021|Citizencon 2021]] and [[StarCitizen:CitizenCon 2022|Citizencon 2022]] were made digital.<ref>[https://youtu.be/0bb4kBwa2iM?t=553 Sandi & Chris: Checking In], YouTube, 1 Jul 2021</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3JNtoMi_a4&t=3059s Star Citizen Live: Master Modes], YouTube, 9 Dec 2022</ref>

Some [[StarCitizen:Bar Citizen]] have been cancelled, while some of the ones that were held had restrictions and reminders were made to avoid handshakes, hugs and to take precautions.<ref>{{Cite RSI|url=https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/18713-Bar-Citizen-World-Tour|text=Bar Citizen World Tour|accessdate=}}</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1XCecif6bQ&t=1693s Star Citizen Live: Meet the Community Team], YouTube, 10 Jun 2022</ref>

==Other==
Before becoming CIG employees, students reported that COVID had affected their studies at the time, for example [[StarCitizen:Natalie Wilson]] was unable to do her [[StarCitizen:motion capture]] project and instead she taught herself how to clean up motion capture data.<ref name=":0">[https://open.spotify.com/episode/2h0kE9fi9Q0sFzfgCuHHHK?si=3a556f9c3a03404f E3: Capturing Motion - Natalie Wilson And Conor-Jack Molloy's Insights Into The Life Of Motion Capture Specialists In The AAA Games Industry], Gamedev Origins, Aug 7 2023</ref>

[[StarCitizen:Gavin Rothery]] has made a movie called ''Archive'' which release was affected by the pandemic as most movie theaters were closed or had restrictions on the number and spacing of available seats.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqeFjcEt-Vo&t=2147s Star Citizen Live: Meet Gavin Rothery], YouTube, 12 Nov 2021</ref>

Weekly playtests have become a more important space for the company to play and interact together and socialize together.<ref name=":2" />

==Return to office ==
[[File:Battle of the Bricks Star Citizen vs. EVE Online.png|thumb|COVID masks briefly worn soon after the end of the COVID 19 pandemic for unrelated reasons, namely a stinky fish, during [[Battle of the Bricks|Battle of the Bricks: Star Citizen vs. EVE Online]]]]In mid 2022 return to office got staggered by department while the vaccine mandate got dropped.

The first studio where it became possible to start working together in person, at any scale, was the UK studio in Manchester, the offices in Frankfurt, Austin, and Los Angeles followed once the local authorities deemed it safe enough to lift various requirements.<ref name=":3" />

Going back to the office did not mean a return to the old work patterns and policies, as the extended lockdowns, combined with working remotely for two years has given CIG new insights into work life balance for the staff. CIG has altered its global work policy to allow for flexi-hours and a hybrid of in person and work from home, depending on both an employee’s and manager’s needs, with emphasis on being cognizant of the employees’ life situations.<ref name=":3" />

[[StarCitizen:Paul Ah-Thion|Paul A-Thion]] repeated requests to continue work from home were denied, resulting in his eventual firing and the [[StarCitizen:Mr P Ah-Thion v Cloud Imperium Games Ltd]] lawsuit.<ref name=":7" /> Similarly, [[StarCitizen:Kiplan Case]] said he lost his job for standing up for his fellow coworkers following the mandated Return To Work and the end of the vaccination policy.<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20220619230530/https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kiplancase_today-i-lost-my-job-at-cloud-imperium-games-activity-6940068155461439488-HJ99/ Today, I lost my job at Cloud Imperium Games for standing up for my fellow coworker]", Kiplan Case post, linkedin, archived</ref>

==Quotes==

*''"This is like out of a movie i don't understand, watch everybody kind of pack up their stuff and move out the office." -[[StarCitizen:Zoe Collier]]<ref name=":2">[https://youtu.be/tyNNSXMLhSc Inside Star Citizen: Home Work | Spring 2020], YouTube, 23 Apr 2020</ref>''
*''"As a programmer the whole lockdown pandemic thing has been perfect for me because anything that minimizes social interactions is fine by me" - [[StarCitizen:Graham Philipson]]<ref name=":1" />''

== Trivia ==

* In 2020 the UK government made public information films including narration by [[StarCitizen:Thomas Wade|Mark Strong]], outlining how the British public should approach daily life during the pandemic.<ref>[https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/govt-taps-mark-strong-delay-stage-coronavirus-campaign/1677169 Work created by MullenLowe Group], campaignlive.co.uk, March 16, 2020</ref>
* A [[StarCitizen:Bengal v1 (ship model) by Imperium|ship model of the Bengal carrier]] was made by players thanks to the time spent locked at home with too much time on their hands.<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/starcitizen/comments/17ymh14/the_imperium_bengal_project_v1_citizencon_2953/ The Imperium Bengal Project V1 - CitizenCon 2953], u/xstNz, reddit, November 19 2023</ref>

==External Links ==

*[https://youtu.be/tyNNSXMLhSc Inside Star Citizen: Home Work | Spring 2020 video]

== See also ==

* [[StarCitizen:Molina Mold]]

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Development]]
[[Category:Financials]]

StarCitizen:COVID-19 pandemic - Revision history

imported>TheBookfinder: see also