Berlin, Germany - 17th March, 2025.
Erik Rempen, the solo developer behind the positively-reviewed Kainga: Seeds of Civilization, is pleased to announce his new project ShantyTown, self-published under his new studio Silk Softworks. ShantyTown is slated for release in Q4 2025.
Now two years into development, ShantyTown is nearing completion and invites players to immerse themselves in an unfamiliar and atmospheric land where they travel between locations creating dense urban “dioramas”. ShantyTown offers a fresh take on cozy gaming, guiding players with a curated set of objects, unique to each location, revealing the location’s “purpose” as players build.
ShantyTown asks players to tap into their artistic and architectural sides to build fun and beautiful neighborhoods that inspire creativity and imagination.
Public Steam Playtest is open for registrations now!
Check out the new announcement teaser here.
Download the press kit with screenshots, the teaser, and more here.
Do you want to get lost building cafes, ramen shops, and tea houses?
In ShantyTown, you will be tasked with building up a variety of unconventional locations around a fictional city, each with its own special theme and elements. Some examples include: a floating tea shop at a ferry terminal, a nightlife district nestled in a transit pipeline, and a mountain-top temple bathhouse. Upon completion, take a photo of your success and add it to your “dossier” of completed projects before moving on to the next location.
Each location offers a curated set of objects to be placed on a limited amount of space. Thus, you will need to be creative with your placement of objects and think vertically to build your dense diorama efficiently. There are no strict win or lose conditions, but there are optional objectives to guide players who prefer to follow some instruction.
- Create Unconventional Locations
From vertical farms to stilted casinos, follow your creative instincts as you construct an organically growing, compact urban scene. Objects come out 3 at a time and may be either buildings or upgrades that provide decor, light, and utility to those buildings. Each location has a hand crafted set of objects for you to use.
- Explore the City Limits
- Capture Your Creation
- Relax and Soak in the Environment
Environment and vibes are important aspects of ShantyTown. Find yourself admiring the beauty in the urban dioramas you’ve created while listening to original tracks that dynamically adjust to your playstyle, composed by the prolific vaporwave artist Macroblank.
ShantyTown is slated for release in Q4 2025 and is currently running a public Steam Playtest. Final release date and pricing to be announced this Summer.
For more information, please visit the official website here, follow ShantyTown on social media via Twitter, Bluesky and join the conversation on the official Discord channel.
For more information please contact:
Erik Rempen
thinker@kaingagame.com
About Silk Softworks
Silk Softworks is a solo developer/publisher venture by Erik Rempen based in Berlin, Germany. Silk Softworks currently publishes Kainga: Seeds of Civilization and the in-development ShantyTown.
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