Kickstarter Campaign

Overview

Square Glade Games launched a Kickstarter campaign for Outbound on August 13, 2024. The campaign set a funding goal of EUR 30,000 and was fully funded in under two hours, making it one of the fastest-funded indie games on the platform that year. By the time the campaign closed on September 12, 2024, it had raised EUR 265,679 from 5,197 backers, reaching 885% of the original goal. The average pledge came out to roughly EUR 51 per backer.

During the 30-day campaign, Outbound gained over 65,000 additional Steam wishlists, peaking at around 5,000 wishlists per day. The surge in community interest helped the game climb into the top 50 most-wishlisted titles on Steam at the time. The campaign's success allowed Square Glade Games to expand the scope of the game well beyond its original design, adding new gameplay systems and activities that would not have been possible with the base funding alone.

Campaign Statistics

Stretch Goals

The campaign featured 10 stretch goals, all of which were unlocked before the campaign ended. Several of these introduced entirely new gameplay systems that expanded the game well beyond its original scope. The stretch goals were unlocked in the following order:

The dog companion was not originally planned as part of the game. It was added as a community stretch goal after backers expressed strong interest. The developers noted that player support made this feature possible, and the companion became one of the most popular additions to the game.

Community Achievements

Alongside the funding-based stretch goals, the campaign featured community achievements that tracked milestones outside of direct pledges. These goals encouraged backers to spread the word about the game through social media engagement and community participation.

All three community achievements were completed in the final days of the campaign. The Insect Hotel was the last community achievement to be reached, requiring 285 additional members to join the official Discord server.

Reward Tiers and Add-Ons

The campaign offered two main pledge tiers and several cosmetic add-ons. All Kickstarter-exclusive items are purely cosmetic and provide no gameplay advantages.

Pledge Tiers

Add-Ons

Kickstarter-Exclusive Items

Several items from the campaign are exclusive to Kickstarter backers and will not be available after the campaign or through the retail version of the game. These include:

• Cotton Candy & Marshmallow Dog Skins: Two special fur colors for the dog companion. The cotton candy skin is bright pink and the marshmallow skin is blue, both featuring a rainbow tail. The standard dog comes in black, brown, or gray fur.

• Avocomfy Decorations: A set of avocado-themed decorative items for the van interior.

• Celestial Tools: A cosmetic tool skin that changes the visual appearance of the player's tools.

• Supportocado Charm: An avocado-themed charm decoration.

• Discord Backer Role: A special role on the official Outbound Discord server, identifying the user as a Kickstarter backer.

All exclusive items are cosmetic only and provide no gameplay advantages over items available to non-backers. This was a deliberate design choice by Square Glade Games to ensure that late buyers would not miss out on any functional content.

BackerKit Late Pledge Store

After the Kickstarter campaign closed on September 12, 2024, Square Glade Games opened a BackerKit late pledge store due to popular demand from people who had missed the campaign window. The late pledge store offered the same two main pledge tiers at the same prices:

• Digital Standard Edition (EUR 25): Steam key for the full game.

• Digital Alpha Edition (EUR 50): Steam key + alpha and beta access.

Late backers could also purchase the Cotton Candy & Marshmallow companion skins as an add-on. However, certain items were reserved exclusively for original Kickstarter backers and were not available through the late pledge store:

• Discord backer role

• Charms (including the Supportocado Charm)

• Soundtracks

The late pledge store was available for a limited time only.

Alpha and Beta Access

Backers who pledged for the Digital Alpha Edition (EUR 50) or higher received access to closed alpha and beta testing phases. These testing phases were available exclusively on Steam.

The alpha and beta phases were closed to the general public, but backers were free to share their experience. Square Glade Games confirmed that there was no NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) or content embargo attached to either testing phase. Backers were encouraged to stream, record, and create content about the alpha and beta builds. This open approach helped generate early community content and build anticipation for the full release.

The game is not following a traditional Early Access model. Instead, it will go directly from the closed beta to a full 1.0 release in May 2026 (PC and Xbox May 11; PS5, Switch, and Switch 2 May 14).

Impact on Development

The Kickstarter campaign had a significant impact on the scope and direction of Outbound's development. Before the campaign, the game was designed around a core loop of van building, crafting, and exploration. The success of the stretch goals introduced several new gameplay systems that became central to the experience:

• Camping added an entire outdoor living system, letting players set up camp outside the van at scenic locations.

• Fishing and beekeeping introduced resource-gathering activities that tie into the game's crafting and cooking systems.

• Kite flying and additional mini-games fleshed out the leisure side of the game, reinforcing the cozy identity the developers were aiming for.

• The dog companion became one of the game's standout features, adding both a practical helper and an emotional connection for the player.

• The character editor, the final stretch goal unlocked on the last day, brought full character customization to a game that originally had a fixed protagonist.

The campaign demonstrated strong community interest in Outbound and gave Square Glade Games the resources and confidence to build a larger game than originally planned. For the full timeline of the game's development, see the development history article.