One of the top multiplayer Kickstarters of 2023 was for Solarpunk, when indie outfit Cyberwave Games and Rokaplay pulled in $330,000 US on a crowdfund campaign that sought only a tenth that amount. Solarpunk is a super cozy multiplayer title, offering everything from housing to gardening – and no combat on deck. But it’s fallen off our radar a bit in the last few months, rising to the headlines only once, when it was forced to denounce a crypto scam that had apparently stolen their artwork in an attempt to sell NFTs.
In any case, it was past time for a check in. In February, the devs recapped everything they’ve done since the Kickstarter last summer, including efforts on the UI, crafting, research, fishing, chicken AI, beds, furnaces, recipes, trees, hardening, sound, resources, water, performance optimizations, and plenty more. “We are making significant progress,” the two-person team says. Prior to the new year, Cyberwave had recapped work on airships, flight physics, docks, and the damage system for ships (apparently, you can be bad at airships).
The Kickstarter had originally pegged alpha (for Kickstarter backers) in Q1, but a spin through the Discord suggests it didn’t make that window. “We are still working on the alpha,” one of the devs posted last week. Apparently, it’s now aiming for alpha this summer. We were previously expecting early access in Q3 of this year, followed by the full launch before the end of 2024.
