The game in the store shows a 'soon' icon next to it.
Considering the game is a year away from release i think that's stretching the meaning of that word quite a bit, even if the word has a vague interpretation.

Nothing new. Soul Saga has been coming soon for what, over 3 years now? I'm more concerned about Wargroove, which is actually out already. What is soon for that?

Agreed, pre-purchasing it a year before its release confuses me even more. But maybe I have lived under a rock lately and missed this new approach from publishers. Buy now, get it in a year.

Seems like it is not much different from a kickstarter at that point.

Exactly!

Which makes sense since kickstarters don't do as well as they used to, but the idea of getting money earlier is naturally appealing. This way they get early income but without any of the requirements kickstarter projects have, such as regular status updates and the like.

Come to think of it, generally even kickstarters would have a video out showcasing expected gameplay. We don't even have that yet.