The Impound - 2025 Year In Review

A Bigger Store, Better Tools, and a Stronger Star Citizen Community

2025 has been a standout year at The Impound.

Together with our pilots, we’ve enjoyed a year packed with incredible Star Citizen moments — major in-game events, new ships and vehicles, expanding gameplay systems, and a community that continues to grow in both size and enthusiasm. Alongside the game itself, The Impound has grown in a meaningful way: not just by adding more products, but by expanding what we offer, how we offer it, and how we support pilots at every stage of their journey.

Over the past year, The Impound has evolved into far more than a store. It is now a place to buy, learn, compare, plan, customise, and stay informed — all under one roof.

Here’s what that looked like, month by month.

January 2025
Opening the Doors Wider Than Ever Before

FULLY LOCALIZED CHINESE STORE

We began 2025 by opening The Impound to a much wider audience.

In January, the store became fully localised in Chinese, supported by bilingual English–Chinese customer support. This allowed Chinese-speaking Star Citizen pilots to browse, shop, and receive help in their own language across ships, vehicles, upgrades, original concepts, and rare items — without friction or guesswork.

To celebrate, we launched our first Lunar New Year Event, marking the Year of the Snake with special offers, rare bonuses, and exclusive flair. More importantly, it signalled a clear message: The Impound is a global store built for a global community.

At the same time, we expanded our community presence beyond traditional Western platforms, establishing official spaces across Kook, Tieba, Douyin, and Bilibili, alongside our existing Discord, Reddit, Instagram, and Threads communities. This ensured pilots could engage with us — and each other — on the platforms they already use every day.

January set the tone for the year: broader access, better support, and a truly international Star Citizen hub.

March 2025
When the Community Became the Story

LINCOLNS FUNDRAISER

In March, the focus shifted from features to people.

When we shared Lincoln’s story — a fellow pilot facing major brain surgery after a lifetime of epileptic seizures — the response from the community was immediate. We launched Lincoln’s Mystery Flair Boxes, with 100% of proceeds donated directly to his GoFundMe, giving pilots a simple way to contribute while receiving a small in-game item in return.

By April, the community had raised over $10,000 through flair purchases alone. The Impound and its founding members then added a further $7,000, exceeding the original goal and providing meaningful support for Lincoln and his family.

This was not a promotion or campaign — it was the Star Citizen community doing what it does best: rallying around one of its own. It remains one of the proudest moments of the year for everyone involved.

May 2025
From Storefront to Knowledge Hub

THE IMPOUND NEWS & GUIDES

May marked one of the most significant expansions in what The Impound offers pilots.

We launched the Impound News & Guides section — a dedicated hub designed to make The Impound the single easiest place to stay informed about Star Citizen.

From that point on, we committed to covering everything:

Breaking Star Citizen news and development updates
Major in-game events such as Invictus Launch Week and IAE
Full manufacturer histories (Origin Jumpworks, RSI, Drake Interplanetary, and more)
In-depth ship and vehicle write-ups
Head-to-head ship comparisons to help pilots choose the right fit
Gameplay guides, boss fights, Q&As, and lore deep dives

Whether it’s a complete IAE planning guide, a detailed breakdown of a newly released ship, or a comparison between fleet options, the goal is always the same: clear, useful, pilot-focused information written by people who actively play the game.

By mid-year, The Impound had become more than a storefront — it had become a daily reference point for Star Citizen pilots.

June 2025
Supporting Pilots At Every Step

NEW RECRUITS

As The Impound continued to grow through the first half of 2025, one thing became increasingly clear: tools and content only matter if there’s a strong team behind them.

In June, we expanded the Impound crew to ensure every pilot interaction — before, during, and after a purchase — received the time, care, and attention it deserves.

This wasn’t about scaling for the sake of it. It was about reinforcing the standards The Impound is known for: fast responses, clear communication, and orders handled properly from start to finish.

New team members were brought in across key areas:

Discord support, providing real-time help, guidance, and conversation for pilots planning purchases or upgrades
Email and support desk coverage, ensuring detailed questions and account-related inquiries are handled accurately and professionally
Order fulfilment and verification, maintaining the high bar we set for secure delivery, validation, and post-delivery support

By expanding the team, we ensured that as more pilots found their way to The Impound, the experience remained personal rather than transactional. Questions were answered properly. Orders were handled carefully. Edge cases were reviewed by humans, not rushed through systems.

Most importantly, this growth allowed us to continue doing what we’ve always done: stand behind every order and every pilot. Whether you’re picking up a paint, planning a CCU chain, or transferring a high-value account, there’s a knowledgeable human on the other side making sure it’s done right.

June was a reminder that while tools and features define what The Impound offers, it’s the people behind the scenes who make the experience dependable.

July 2025
Customisation Without Barriers

PAINT SELECTOR

In July, we launched the Paint Selector Tool, giving pilots an entirely new way to explore and customise their ships and vehicles.

For the first time, pilots could view every available paint for a specific ship or vehicle in one place, with powerful filters for:

Ship or vehicle compatibility
Concierge-exclusive paints
Subscriber-only paints

Crucially, the Paint Selector removed long-standing access barriers. Pilots could browse and purchase Concierge paints without a $1,000 spend and Subscriber paints without a monthly subscription, making fleet customisation accessible to everyone.

The result was simple: styling your fleet became fast, transparent, and genuinely enjoyable.

August 2025
Strengthening the Signal

Growing the Impound Affiliate Program

By August, something had become very clear: more and more pilots were finding The Impound through people they already trusted.

Creators weren’t just mentioning us — they were recommending us. Explaining how we work. Pointing their viewers our way because they believed in the way we do things and wanted their communities to shop safely, securely, and without the risks that exist elsewhere.

That’s when we expanded the Impound Affiliate Program.

This wasn’t about chasing reach or flooding the program with names. It was about working with creators who genuinely align with our values and who care about their viewers having the best possible experience — from pricing and delivery to long-term account safety.

Throughout August, we welcomed a growing group of affiliates, including:

Olli43, joining us as a Brand Ambassador
SuperMacBrother
Infinite Space
Captain Katarn
and many more creators across the Star Citizen community

Each of them brings their own voice, audience, and passion for the ‘verse — and each chose to stand behind The Impound because they trust how we operate.

For pilots, this meant trusted recommendations, exclusive discounts, and a clear, safe path to building their fleet. For us, it was a genuine point of pride.

September 2025
Making Upgrades Simple

Upgrade Selector & Chaining

Ship upgrades have always been one of Star Citizen’s most powerful systems — and one of its most misunderstood.

CCU chaining has existed for years, but for many pilots it lived behind spreadsheets, Discord advice, trial-and-error purchases, and a constant worry that there was a cheaper or smarter path they were missing. It rewarded experience, but it wasn’t welcoming — especially to newer pilots.

In September, that changed.

With the introduction of CCU Chaining inside the CCU Selector, we brought clarity to a system that had long felt opaque. Instead of asking pilots to manually build upgrade paths, the Selector began presenting complete, valid CCU chains automatically, calculated in real time using The Impound’s available inventory.

Pilots could now see:

The most cost-effective route to their target ship
A clear comparison between direct upgrades and chained paths
Exactly how much a chain could save, with transparent callouts
Only valid upgrade paths, thanks to intelligent filtering

Most importantly, the entire chain could be added to the cart in one click — no juggling tabs, no piecing together steps, no second-guessing.

By October, we took the next step.

Rather than forcing pilots to think only in terms of upgrades, the CCU Selector evolved into a decision tool. It learned to surface Standalone CCU’d ships — including LTI and 10-Year Insurance variants — directly alongside upgrade paths, inside the same flow.

For the first time, pilots could clearly see:

When a standalone option was cheaper than upgrading
When chaining saved more than buying outright
When spending a little extra meant keeping a ship they were emotionally attached to

This wasn’t about pushing one choice over another. It was about respecting how pilots think about their hangars — balancing value, sentiment, long-term planning, and insurance preferences without judgement.

Alongside these changes, the mobile experience was refined so upgrade planning no longer required a desktop setup and a quiet afternoon. Whether browsing from a phone, tablet, or PC, the experience remained clear and intentional.

By the end of October, the CCU Selector had become more than an upgrade calculator. It was a trusted planning tool, equally valuable to veteran chain-builders and pilots upgrading their first ship.

October 2025
Buying Star Citizen Accounts, Done the Right Way

Star Citizen Account Finder

October also saw a major step forward in how Star Citizen accounts are presented and purchased at The Impound.

With the Account Finder, pilots can now browse accounts using clear, practical filters covering:

Concierge level
Flagship and capital ships
Rare collectibles and legacy rewards
Game access (Star Citizen and Squadron 42)
Physical pledges where applicable

Every account listing is fully documented, and every transfer follows The Impound’s established verification and protection process. This includes verified original ownership, documented transfers, secure handover, and after-sale support — the same process that has allowed The Impound to operate for over a decade without a single transfer failure.

The result is a structured, transparent way for pilots to explore one of the most sought-after parts of Star Citizen.

November 2025
Ready for IAE — More Ways to Pay

NEW PAYMENT METHODS INTRODUCED

As The Impound continued to grow globally, one priority remained constant: give pilots more choice.

In November, ahead of IAE 2955, we expanded our payment options to ensure pilots around the world could shop in the way that feels most natural to them — quickly, securely, and without unnecessary steps.

We introduced three major new payment methods:

Apple Pay
Fast, secure checkout using Face ID, Touch ID, or a simple double-tap. Ideal for mobile browsing, quick upgrades, and last-minute purchases during major events.

Amazon Pay
One-click simplicity using existing Amazon payment and address details. No re-entering information, no friction — just a familiar, trusted checkout flow.

USDC (Crypto Payments)
For pilots who prefer blockchain-based transactions, USDC support brought fast, stable, borderless payments to the store, opening the door to an entirely new way to shop at The Impound.

These joined an already robust set of options, including credit and debit cards, PayPal, WeChat Pay, and UnionPay — ensuring pilots can choose the method that suits them best, wherever they’re flying from.

This expansion wasn’t about replacing anything. It was about adding flexibility, meeting pilots where they already are, and making every purchase feel straightforward and confident.

Looking Forward...

As we close the curtains on 2025, The Impound has grown into something genuinely unique within the Star Citizen ecosystem.

Pilots can now:

Discover, compare, and purchase ships, vehicles, upgrades, paints, and accounts
Plan upgrades intelligently, with full visibility and confidence
Customise fleets without artificial access barriers
Stay up to date with Star Citizen news, events, and development in one place
Learn through detailed guides, comparisons, histories, and gameplay breakdowns
Engage with a global community supported across multiple platforms and languages

Every tool, guide, and system added this year was built with the same goal in mind: make Star Citizen easier to understand, easier to enjoy, and easier to plan for — without removing the depth that makes it special.

Looking forward, this foundation allows us to go further. More tools. More guides. Deeper comparisons. Smarter planning features. Expanded community initiatives. Everything built on the same principles that defined 2025: clarity, accessibility, and respect for how pilots actually play the game.

To every pilot who shopped with us, read our guides, planned a fleet, joined an event, or supported the community this year — thank you 💗

We’re proud of what The Impound has become, and we’re just getting started.