The Banu Merchantman Returns to Development
Two artists have been assigned to restart the Banu Merchantman. A whole-ship review will assess its design against the latest plans for player trading.
The Banu Merchantman has people working on it again. Two artists have been assigned to help restart development, with a review of the entire ship planned around the latest design for Player Trading.
That connection matters for a ship built around commerce. Its shops and trading spaces need to accommodate the systems players will use to do business aboard it. The restart follows discussions between Core Gameplay, Systems Design and the project leads, rather than an isolated return to exterior modelling.
Picking up an unfinished ship
Work stopped with the Merchantman’s interior at whitebox and its exterior at greybox. In practical terms, the internal spaces were at an earlier stage of construction than the hull. Both now need assessing as the team plans the changes required by the trading design.
The two artists are helping restart that process. No revised floor plan or release window has been announced, so owners still face a wait before they know how the review will affect the ship they eventually fly.
Reviewing the trading spaces
The Merchantman’s shops make Player Trading central to its interior design. The planned review will assess the existing ship against the latest requirements for that system.
The October report does not specify which rooms or systems will change. Existing concept artwork shows the ship’s earlier design, while the newly restarted work will determine how it develops from there.
Where it sits alongside the other large ships
The Merchantman is earlier in production than several other long-awaited vessels covered this month. The Liberator and Galaxy have reached final review; the Kraken is progressing through LOD0 towards a mid-November gate review. The Banu ship is returning to an assessment of its existing build.
Source: Star Citizen Monthly Report: October 2026. Artwork: CIG/RSI.