Disclaimer: Since this is a rather unique subject, I (as the author of this thread), request that you (as the viewer/poster of this thread) to exercise extreme caution when formulating a response. This thread is not intended to elicit the following: political, cultural or social debates. By posting a reply you acknowledge not only to uphold the conditions imposed by the author, but also the rules of conduct established by CIG.

Authors Question: Where is Cloud Imperium Games (CIG) Headquartered? Is CIG a United States (US) based company or is it headquartered within the European Union (EU)?

Information: According to the official Could Imperium website, CIG has three respected studios that are located within Santa Monica, CA (Cloud Imperium Games, LLC), Austin, TX (Cloud Imperium Games, LLC) and West Hollywood, CA (Cloud Imperium Games Corporation Roberts Space Industries Corp). All three studios reside within the borders of the United States.

CIG identifies themselves as an American video game company, co-founded by Chris Roberts and Ortwin Freyermuth. And apart from several US locations, CIG has established a fourth - located in Cheshire, England. If CIG identifies themselves an American based company, why are they then upholding the policies of the EU?

If CIG is classified as an American based company then shouldn't EU customers (in theory) not be charged the additional Value-Added Tax (VAT)?

Note: In principle, VAT rules can apply, but most US based companies do not charge VAT until they establish a physical presence (i.e., CIG's EU based studio). So, why did CIG go forth and establish a physical presence within the EU?

Pros: There are certain benefits within EU policies. For example, if CIG is headquartered in the EU (in theory) the VAT system could potentially bring in more revenue to CIG. Furthermore, establishing a physical presence would allow CIG (though the implementation of VAT) to regain potently lost online sales taxes, since the imposition of a VAT would mean that all sales (be that digitally based ones) would be taxed.

Cons: One major draw back to CIG (if headquartered in the EU) would impose additional taxation on the consumer and not the company itself. This could be seen as a biased since CIG had been built upon a crowed funded endeavor via third party websites such as Kickstarter. It is more than likely CIG's reputation could be servery impacted since they pride themselves as a community driven project void of traditional publishers and/or private inversions. If CIG is designated as an American based company (and not a EU one), then why would Chris Roberts willingly establish a permanent presence within the EU? Why would he willingly charge non-US customers more for a crowd funded enterprise?

Authors Note: I will not reply to questions imposed by the community. However, if you agree/disagree and/or have a difference in opinion, you are more than welcome to share it, so as long as you adhere to the conditions within the disclaimer.