Kickstarter Campaign

Overview

The Solarpunk Kickstarter campaign was the funding event that turned Cyberwave's indie survival project into a fully funded multi-platform title. The campaign ran in late 2022 with a modest funding goal and ultimately raised more than ten times that amount, becoming one of Germany's most successful gaming Kickstarters by total funds.

Final Numbers

Stretch Goals Unlocked

Crossing the 30,000 EUR goal early in the campaign unlocked a series of stretch goals that significantly broadened Solarpunk's content beyond the original pitch. The unlocked goals included:

• Additional housing decorations: expanded the cosmetic options for player-built homes.

• Character editor: added the ability to customize the player avatar, introduced in the September 2025 alpha playtest.

• More plant types: expanded the available crops beyond the original farming lineup.

• Recycler and Recycling Points: added a recycling station that converts surplus items into Recycling Points usable at the Vending Machine for cosmetic items. See gadgets and tools for details.

• Expanded building materials: added brick and glass alongside the default wood, enabling greenhouses with glass walls and a more industrial brick aesthetic. See building and construction for the material list.

The final stretch goal listed on the campaign page was not reached before the campaign closed. Cyberwave and Rokaplay did not publicly commit to building that final feature outside of stretch-goal funding.

Backer Tiers and Rewards

Backer rewards scaled with pledge amount. Tiers at and above the 70 EUR level included access to the single-player alpha playtest that opened in September 2025, well before the public release. Some higher tiers also offered the chance to influence in-game design through backer-suggested housing decorations and animal art.

Lower tiers received digital rewards: copies of the game, backer-exclusive cosmetics, art books, and digital soundtracks.

Impact on Development

The Kickstarter funding allowed Cyberwave to commit to a full multi-year development cycle without relying solely on publisher advances. Combined with the unexpected commercial success of A Game About Digging A Hole in early 2025, the campaign gave the two-person studio enough financial runway to delay the game from its original 2025 target into a polished 2026 release.

By the April 2026 release date announcement, Solarpunk had accumulated approximately one million Steam wishlists, a figure that started at roughly 400,000 at the time the Kickstarter ended and grew through the demo, alpha, and beta cycles.

Community Continuity

The Kickstarter community remained engaged throughout development. Backers received regular update posts covering animal AI overhauls, weather changes, the addition of cooking, logic switches in automation, and the multiplayer beta. The same community fed back into design decisions, including reporting wooden-tool durability concerns, airship steering issues, and crop growth-time complaints.