Star Birds News

[p][/p][p][/p][p]We’ve been heading back from Gamescom, and what an unforgettable experience it has been! Exhibiting Star Birds at the Indie Arena Booth was a true highlight for us. Five jam-packed days, filled with excitement, energy, and countless amazing encounters.[/p][p][/p][h3]Star Birds at Gamescom – What an Incredible Week![/h3][p]From Wednesday morning at 9 until Sunday evening at 8, our 13 demo stations were constantly filled. We were overwhelmed by your curiosity and enthusiasm for our new game. Meeting so many of you—whether you’ve been following us for a while or discovered us for the first time—was truly heartwarming.[/p][p]By the end of the fair, every last Star Birds tote bag was gone, all holo-stickers vanished, and every piece of merch had found a new home. What we brought back instead: countless impressions, heartfelt conversations, and memories we’ll never forget.[/p][p]We were there in full force with both teams, Toukana and kurzgesagt, and it was such a joy to spend this time together. We couldn’t have wished for a better collaboration at the booth.[/p][p][/p][h3]Gamescom Award: Best Merch[/h3][p]We’re beyond excited to share that we won the Gamescom Award for Best Merch! At our booth, visitors got the chance to play Star Birds and then try their luck at our custom-built Gumball Machine. With every turn, players received a capsule that revealed a surprise prize.[/p][p]A huge shoutout goes to Maximilian Haas (IG: boringbear_art), who designed and built the incredible Gumball Machine, complete with a looming asteroid on top. 🤩[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Thank You! You Made Gamescom Unforgettable[/h3][p]A big thank you to the press and industry folks who stopped by to play Star Birds. And above all, thank you—the players. To those who already knew us and shared kind words, and to those who boldly launched into space with us for the very first time: you made this Gamescom truly special.[/p][p]Gamescom is over, but Star Birds is just getting started. Back at home—tired but inspired—we're getting everything ready for the Early Access Release on September 10. See you in space! 🚀[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]About[/h3][p]Gamescom is the world’s largest consumer gaming event, held annually in Cologne, Germany, since 2009. It serves as a platform for game developers, publishers, and hardware manufacturers to showcase their latest products to both industry professionals and the public. Millions of visitors attend to experience game demos, esports tournaments, panel discussions, and community events.

Thanks to our friends from Indie Arena Booth for having us![/p][p][/p][p] [/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p] [/p][h3]Wishlist Star Birds & Join Our Newsletter[/h3][p]Star Birds is an indie project by Toukana Interactive and kurzgesagt. We are over the moon to have such an amazing community. You are the reason why this project exists. If you want to support us, Wishlist the game here on Steam, and tell your friends about it. If you would like to be the first to read content like this and are looking for more in-depth insights, we recommend our newsletter – sign up at toukana.com/starbirds. [/p][p][/p]

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Star Birds Early Access launches September 10th 🚀🐦[/h3][p]The flock is almost ready for takeoff! After months of building, tweaking, polishing, and planning, we’re thrilled to say that Star Birds will launch into Early Access very soon.
To make sure the journey starts smoothly, we’re adjusting our flight plan just a little: instead of September 4th, the launch will now be on September 10th, 2025.[/p][p]
Why the change?
Last week at Gamescom we had an intense but wonderful time with there was a HUGE surprise announement: Team Cherry announced the release date for the long-awaited Silksong, and we don’t want to collide beak-on with such a massive hype-supernova. Both games deserve their moment to shine and we wish Team Cherry an amzing success!

And honestly, we’re super excited to play Silksong ourselves, too! 🎮✨
[/p][p]These past weeks have been and are still incredibly exciting (and a little hectic) for our team, as we’re juggling lots of things behind the scenes and quickly reworking our release plans. Your feedback and suggestions really helped us make this call, so thank you for your passion, patience, and support - it means the world to us. 💜[/p][p]We can’t wait to finally share the Early Access version of Star Birds with you on September 10th!


[/p][h3]Wishlist Star Birds & Join Our Newsletter[/h3][p]Star Birds is an indie project by Toukana Interactive and kurzgesagt. We are over the moon to have such an amazing community. You are the reason why this project exists. If you want to support us, Wishlist the game here on Steam, and tell your friends about it. If you would like to be the first to read content like this and are looking for more in-depth insights, we recommend our newsletter – sign up at toukana.com/starbirds
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[p]Star Birds will be available in Early Access. Playable for everyone on Sept 10th, 2025.[/p][p]
[/p][p]We’re thrilled to officially announce it: Star Birds will launch in Early Access on September 4 10, 2025! * We've moved the release date to the 10th of September because of Silksong - read more here.[/p][p]Mark your calendars – in just a few weeks you’ll be able to take off into the colorful, chaotic universe of Star Birds and see where the mission will take you.[/p][p][/p][h2]Thank You for Shaping Star Birds[/h2][p]Back in June, we released the Star Birds demo – and the response from all of you was incredible.
Your feedback has been invaluable in making the Early Access version the best it can be. You reported bugs, you shared your ideas for what you’d love to see in the game, and you helped us refine both the small details and the bigger gameplay features.
[/p][p]From the whole team: thank you for being such an active and constructive part of this journey.[/p][p][/p][h2]FAQ – Everything You’re Asking About Early Access[/h2][p][/p][p]1. Can I Play on My Mac / My Phone / My Console / My Quantum Computer? 💻[/p][p]Early Access will launch on PC in all the languages already available in the demo. Other platforms are not off the table, but as a small indie team we need to stay focused and work step-by-step to deliver the highest quality possible. We’ll explore other platforms after the full release.[/p][p][/p][p]2. Will Star Birds Become More Complex? 🤓 [/p][p]Compared to the demo, Early Access goes beyond the initial tutorial levels and steps up the complexity. At launch, you’ll be able to play more levels, build more and complex buildings, energy networks and explore many more asteroids. The Early Access release version also adds a second Star System with a bunch of new levels and even more cutscenes. In the new star system things get cold and frosty, so your birds will have to buckle up![/p][p][/p][p]3. Will Star Birds Cost Under 10 Euros / Over 40 Dollars / More Than Lying in the Grass and Gazing at the Starry Sky? 💰[/p][p]We don’t have a final price to share yet. We know this is an important factor for many of you, and we’re working to find the right sweet spot – making Star Birds as accessible as possible for players while ensuring an appropriate value proposition. We’ll share more as soon as we have something concrete.[/p][p][/p][p]4. Can I Play Before September 4 10? 😍[/p][p]Yes! (Wait ... WHAT?! 🤯) If you’re at gamescom this week, we have a fresh new build of the Early Access version ready for you to try out. Stop by the Indie Arena Booth Hall 10.2 at Booth 48, say hi, play Star Birds and give our gacha machine a spin – we’d love to meet you, plus we have lots of goodies to win![/p][p][/p][p]5. Will Steve, the Voice of kurzgesagt Be in the Game?🔊[/p][p]The question that has kept you all awake ... All clear, everybody! You can breathe easy. We’ve asked Steve to voice text some lines for Star Birds, so you can look forward to hearing the kurzgesagt narrator in the game for certain moments and selected scenes. [/p][p][/p][p]It’s been amazing to see such a constructive, helpful, friendly, and open community forming around Star Birds. Working at lightspeed on the Early Access version is twice as fun when we know we’re building it for such an awesome group of players. Here’s to the countdown for September 4 September 10 – and to all the adventures ahead! ✨[/p][p] [/p][hr][/hr][p]
[/p][h3]Wishlist Star Birds & Join Our Newsletter[/h3][p]Star Birds is an indie project by Toukana Interactive and kurzgesagt. We are over the moon to have such an amazing community. You are the reason why this project exists. If you want to support us, Wishlist the game here on Steam, and tell your friends about it.

If you would like to be the first to read content like this and are looking for more in-depth insights, we recommend our newsletter – sign up at toukana.com/starbirds.

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[p] [/p][p][/p][p]Merch, goodies, prizes—we're setting up our booth and have brought lots of loot. For those staying at home, shirts and posters are available in the kurzgesagt online shop. 👕[/p][p][/p][h3]Booth Setup Day – We’re Ready for You![/h3][p]We’ve finished setting up our booth at gamescom! Playing stations are ready so as many of you as possible can try out Star Birds. We’re bringing exclusive Early Access content along, so you’ll be among the very first to experience it. The furniture is in place, and of course, we’ve stocked up on merch and prizes.[/p][p]Here’s how it works: if you play Star Birds at our booth, you get to spin our Gumball Machine! Inside are Star Birds goodies waiting for you – from tote bags and stickers to (if you’re lucky) an Early Access key! Below are a few impressions from our setup day so you can get a glimpse behind the scenes.[/p][p][/p][h3]Star Birds Merch for Everyone[/h3][p]We know not everyone can make it to Cologne for gamescom, so we’ve made sure you won’t miss out. Starting August 20 (TODAY!), Star Birds merch will be available to fans worldwide! You’ll be able to grab our T-shirts (minimal Star Birds logo on the front, colorful asteroid base design on the back) and holographic foil posters via the kurzgesagt online shop.[/p][p]We’re also putting our T-shirts to the ultimate test – they’re coming with us to gamescom. If they survive five days of non-stop action, we’ll know they’ve passed the highest quality check imaginable![/p][p][/p][p]Be sure to also join our Toukana Newsletter here and get the chance to win a Star Birds Steam key (redeemable at release).

We can’t wait for five packed days of gamescom ahead. If you’re here, stop by the Indie Arena Booth, play Star Birds, and say hi! 👋[/p][p] [/p][h3]About[/h3][p]Gamescom is the world’s largest consumer gaming event, held annually in Cologne, Germany, since 2009. It serves as a platform for game developers, publishers, and hardware manufacturers to showcase their latest products to both industry professionals and the public. Millions of visitors attend to experience game demos, esports tournaments, panel discussions, and community events.

Thanks to our friends from Indie Arena Booth for having us, it's the best booth![/p][p][/p][p] [/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p] [/p][h3]Wishlist Star Birds & Join Our Newsletter[/h3][p]Star Birds is an indie project by Toukana Interactive and kurzgesagt. We are over the moon to have such an amazing community. You are the reason why this project exists. If you want to support us, Wishlist the game here on Steam, and tell your friends about it. If you would like to be the first to read content like this and are looking for more in-depth insights, we recommend our newsletter – sign up at toukana.com/starbirds. [/p]

[p]We’re Part of the Games Forged in Germany Steam Event![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]We’re excited to announce that we’re participating in this year’s Games Forged in Germany Steam event – a celebration of the diversity and creativity of games made in Germany, hosted by Games Germany, the alliance of regional funding and network institutions from across the country.[/p][p]Alongside a curated showcase event, the Steam sale highlights innovative titles from German developers and studios – and we’re glad to be part of it![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]We’re showing off our own two projects during the event:[/p][p][/p][p]🌳 Dorfromantik – a peaceful building strategy and puzzle game where you lay down beautifully drawn hexagonal tiles to grow your own idyllic village landscape. Explore charming biomes, unlock new tiles, and complete quests that bring your world to life. Originally developed as a student project, Dorfromantik has become a beloved indie title worldwide.[/p][p]🪐 Star Birds – our upcoming asteroid base-builder where you guide a colony of spacefaring birds through the stars! Harvest resources, build sprawling industrial networks, and relax into a rhythm of exploration and creativity. Star Birds combines chill vibes with strategic depth – all wrapped in cosmic charm.[/p][p][/p][p]We’re far from alone in this – Germany is home to a vibrant, supportive, and growing game development ecosystem. Here are just a few players we admire and want to highlight:[/p][p][/p][h3]Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg[/h3][p]A fantastic funding partner that supported Dorfromantik from its early days. What makes their funding model so special? Developers only repay if their game becomes a success – a fair and supportive approach that encourages creativity without stifling risk-taking. Their commitment to nurturing talent has had a real impact on our journey.[/p][p][/p][h3]game – The German Games Industry Association[/h3][p]The backbone of the German games industry, game is a crucial voice for developers, publishers, and players alike. From policy advocacy to business support and networking, their work ensures the German games scene continues to thrive. As members, we’re grateful for their dedication and for always being approachable and open.[/p][p][/p][h3]HTW Berlin and Germany’s Tuition-Free Game Education[/h3][p]It’s easy to forget just how special it is that you can study Game Design – and other creative disciplines – tuition-free in Germany. Institutions like our home university HTW Berlin are shaping the next generation of game creators and proving how powerful public education can be for the creative industries.[/p][h3][/h3][p]... speaking of ...[/p][p][/p][h3]Noteworthy German Indie Studios[/h3][p]We’d love to highlight some incredible German developer projects that we truly admire—starting with WANDERBURG and the fantastic team at Randwerk. This is one of the most exciting indie projects we’ve seen in a long time. Wanderburg is a minimalist open-world roguelike set in a fascinating ecosystem of castles on wheels. Consume, grow bigger, upgrade your modules, and survive! Unlock new weapons, build your castle, and explore a procedurally generated map filled with opportunity and danger. It’s bold, fresh, and full of style.[/p][p]Another game close to our hearts is Thronefall, a minimalist game about building and defending your little kingdom. GrizzlyGames stripped a classic strategy game from all unnecessary complexity, combining it with some healthy hack and slay. In Thronefall, you build up your base during the day, and defend it til your last breath at night.[/p][p]From the creator of SUMMERHOUSE comes the brand new game SLOTS & DAGGERS - a compact retro-fantasy roguelike where battles play out on a slot machine. Arm yourself to the teeth and set out on an adventure across strange and dangerous lands, where every spin could be your last![/p][p]Next up is REKA, a cozy and atmospheric witchcraft adventure. Build your chicken-legged hut, gather herbs in autumnal forests, and uncover the mysteries of Baba Jaga. We’re especially excited to follow this one—not least because the team studied at HTW Berlin, just like we did.[/p][p]For the automation fans in our community, we'd like to recommend shapez. shapez is a minimalistic factory building game about the automation of shapes through extraction and satisfying production lines. Last August, the successor, shapez 2, was released. With the second part of shapez, you get the chance to build huge space factories. Tackle increasingly complex automation challenges at your own pace – you won’t have to worry about enemies.[/p][p]Our fellow-developers of Gentle Troll Entertainment introduce us to the world of Tavern Talk. A cozy visual novel about running a tavern in a Dungeon and Dragon-inspired fantasy. New up in the universe is the title Tavern Talk Stories: Dreamwalker. Meet adventurers, gather rumours and mix fate-altering drinks to stop dreams from twisting into nightmares.[/p][p]And finally, Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders, the thrilling follow-up to Lonely Mountains: Downhill by Megagon. Crash again and again until you master the mountain. Now with 2–8 player cross-platform multiplayer: descend the slopes together or go all-out in a race to the base. Fast, fun, and beautifully chaotic.[/p][p][/p][p]Games Germany – Regional Funds and Networks is a unique cooperation between 12 regional institutions – six funding bodies and six industry networks. Due to Germany’s federal system, these institutions operate locally, but under the Games Germany umbrella, they come together with a shared goal: to strengthen and showcase the national games industry. [/p][p][/p][p]For the past four years, they’ve been organizing a recurring Steam event featuring local players from our neighborhood. We’re excited to be part of it and to celebrate friends and partners we've known since our university days and the early years of Toukana. Companions on our journey, creative minds, and fantastic game makers. Check it out! 💛[/p][p] [/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h3]Wishlist Star Birds & Join Our Newsletter[/h3][p]Star Birds is an indie project by Toukana Interactive and kurzgesagt. We are over the moon to have such an amazing community. You are the reason why this project exists. If you want to support us, Wishlist the game here on Steam, and tell your friends about it.

If you would like to be the first to read content like this and are looking for more in-depth insights, we recommend our newsletter – sign up at toukana.com/starbirds.

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