After following Star Citizen since 2014, I’ve finally reached the point where I no longer want to follow, support, or promote this project. I first backed the project because I genuinely believed in what it was trying to achieve. The biggest thing I was excited about was Squadron 42. When I originally backed, I purchased a package that included SQ42. Over the years, I gradually upgraded and spent more money, eventually working my way up to a package that included the ships I wanted as well as Squadron 42. Like many backers, I used the melting system over the years to try different ships and packages, always with the intention of eventually returning to the package I had worked toward once the game was finally released. I understood that melted packages could potentially be lost, but I never expected that something so significant would happen without what I consider to be a clear and meaningful warning. Now I find myself without the package I had spent years building toward — including the SQ42 entitlement I originally backed for. And this is where I have completely lost trust. Because from my perspective, it now feels very clear what the outcome is: I am expected to pay for Squadron 42 again when it eventually releases. After spending well over £1,000 supporting this project, that is an incredibly difficult pill to swallow. I have defended Star Citizen for years when people called it a scam. I followed the development, watched the videos, kept up with the news, backed the project and genuinely wanted to see it succeed. I was one of the people who would tell others that they were wrong to dismiss the project. But after all these years, watching what I consider to be a decline in quality while simultaneously seeing more and more monetisation, I simply cannot ignore how this situation looks. I had already paid for SQ42. I had supported the project for over a decade. I had spent a significant amount of money upgrading my package. I used the melting system in good faith, believing I could eventually return to what I had worked toward. Now that package is gone, and the obvious solution being presented to me appears to be spending even more money to get SQ42 back. That is not something I am willing to do. I am not going to be treated as a bottomless wallet simply because I have supported the project for a long time. I am certainly not going to pay twice for something I already backed. This isn't about the cost of a video game. It's about trust. I wanted Star Citizen to succeed. I wanted Squadron 42 to be everything we were promised. I spent years defending this project and encouraging people to give it a chance. But I no longer trust CIG to treat my support with the same respect that I gave them. So this is me stepping away. I will no longer be following Star Citizen, supporting it financially, or promoting it to others. If someone asks me about the project in the future, I will be completely honest about my experience — including the fact that after more than a decade of following and financially supporting Star Citizen, I lost access to the package I had worked toward and now feel that I am being pushed toward paying for SQ42 again. Maybe Star Citizen will eventually become the game I always hoped it would be. I genuinely hope it does. But I won't be paying again to find out.