In its first major monthly status report, Star Citizen developer Cloud Imperium Games said that the team now has 212 members, and said the Dogfighting Module would be premiered at a "Citizens-only event" ahead of PAX East.

“If all goes as planned, the Dogfighting Module itself will launch shortly after PAX and you will finally get your hands on your flight sticks,” said designer Chris Roberts. “The team is scurrying to take care of thousands upon thousands of necessary details: variable damage states, HUD detailing, weapons cameras, engine sounds and countless other things that go into creating an immersive space combat experience.

“At this point, we can now regularly dogfight here in the office.”

“You may find it interesting to know that as of this moment there are 212 people working on Star Citizen between the internal and external studios and contractors. More people are working on this project than most AAA console titles, and it’s definitely the largest team to work on a Space Sim. These are jobs you have created. It’s an amazing accomplishment and it’s all down to your passion for space sims, PCs and doing something different.

“Not only that but these are 212 developers that want what you want – to make the best game possible – they don’t have to worry about a publisher pushing them to release early to plug a hole in a quarterly revenue plan or to incorporate a feature just because it’s the flavor of the month.”

Star Citizen has now raised more than US$39 million via crowdfunding.

The game is already the most popular crowdfunded project ever. In July, it raced past the previous crowdfunding record holder, the $10.3 million-funded Pebble Watch.

Star Citizen is a sci-fi trading and combat simulator set in a persistent universe. It is the brainchild of Roberts, who is known for his previous work on titles such as Wing Commander and Freelancer.

Star Citizen is expected to release in some time this year.