Developer Cloud Imperium Games has responded to a tidal wave of criticism it has received from the Star Citizen community after it announced a new ship upgrade. 

In a post on its website – as spotted by PC Gamer – the firm said that it was going to delay the release of the new flight blades until they can be purchased with in-game currency. When first announced, consumers would have had to pay real-world money rather than being able to purchase it with Star Citizen's aUEC in-game currency. 

"Throughout Star Citizen's evolution, one fundamental principle has remained paramount: everything you pledge for to support our development will eventually be attainable through gameplay," Star Citizen community director Tyler "Zyloh" Witkin told the game's fanbase. 

"Your contribution helps push things forward, but your time in the 'verse should be equally rewarded.

"We're pushing 11 patches this year instead of four. We’re crushing more bugs than ever, building more exciting content, moving faster than ever to make the Persistent Universe a better experience for everyone, and in moving that fast, we missed a step."

"To be clear, the new flight blades will be obtainable for aUEC in our next patch this June. We followed our usual approach by offering early access on the pledge store to help support development. But after some reflection, we’ve decided that for smaller components like flight blades or bomb racks, they should be available in-game at the same time they appear on the store."

To date, Star Citizen has raised over $800 million in funding to date.