Homeworld 3 has had a fascinating journey since it was first officially announced. Originally revealed as part of a crowdfunding campaign on Fig, Embracer Group's acquisition of Gearbox saw the campaign canceled and development continue under more traditional funding models. Since then, the game has been mostly in the background of news as development continued on it, but it is scheduled to be out later this year.

　　This second sequel to the original 1999 game is being handled by Blackbird Interactive, a studio that earned critical acclaim for its Homeworld prequel, Deserts of Kharak, in 2016. Details are scarce on Homeworld 3, but with several developer diaries, trailers, and official details, we've gathered up everything that we know so far.

　　

Release date

Originally scheduled to launch in Q4 2022, Homeworld 3 was delayed to the first half of 2023 and again to February 2024. Since that announcement back in June 2022. Publisher Gearbox and developer Blackbird Interactive say that they made the decision so that it could deliver a more polished experience and avoid development crunch on the game.

　　"Our primary goal is to deliver a Homeworld experience that lives up to the standards set by its predecessors and is worthy of the series' incredible legacy," the studio tweeted.

　　

Platforms

While more real-time strategy games are landing on PlayStation and Xbox consoles, Homeworld 3 won't be one of them when it launches. For now, this will be a PC-exclusive game.

　　

Story

Not too much is known about Homeworld 3's campaign, which takes place a century after Homeworld 2 and the golden age for humanity that was established in that sequel. After Karan S'Jet unlocked a vast and ancient hyperspace gate network that opened up the entire galaxy to trade and exploration, humanity began to do pretty well for itself until a darkness known as the Anomaly began to spread out across the cosmos.

　　"With her people's hard-won peace and prosperity threatened, Karan led a fleet into Anomaly space to search for answers. She never returned. Now Imogen S'Jet, Karan's successor, is the only one who holds the key to unlocking the mystery threatening the galaxy's future," the official synopsis for the game reads.

　　

Graphics and soundtrack

　　On the visual front, Blackbird says that it has "evolved" the art direction of the Homeworld series with modern technology that offers an upgraded sense of scale and destruction. For example, ships will carry the battle scars of encounters on their hulls, the galaxy is constructed of dark matter and nebulae, and enemy engagements will look incredibly damaging in the cold vacuum of space. That, and seeing fleets of spaceships and capital ships cruising through space in tight and neat formations always looks great.

　　As for the soundtrack, original Homeworld composer Paul Ruskay has created several new tracks for the game and you can find out more about the unique sound of the game in a 20-minute documentary video embedded above.

　　

Gameplay

Like the previous entries in the series, Homeworld 3 is all about real-time strategy in which you command fleets of spaceships. Space also happens to be a three-dimensional plane, so if you're cunning, you can take down enemies with a clever flank from below or above their positions. If you'd prefer to throw your army into a head-on battle, Homeworld 3 will allow for that, and you can savor the battle with its cinematic camera angles.

　　You'll also need to focus on your position in a galactic sector, as the realistic ballistics system makes line of sight and cover critical for your strategic options. Additionally, your fleet persists from mission to mission, so you'll want to take good care of your assets and avoid reckless engagements or dangerous space phenomena like particle storms and asteroid fields.

　　

Multiplayer

PvP multiplayer will be available in Homeworld 3 for when you feel like testing your fleet skills against a human opponent, but it's the other mode that sounds very interesting. Described as a roguelite cooperative mode, you'll be able to join another commander to take on a randomized series of fleet combat challenges. You'll both have a persistent fleet, meaning what you start with is all that you have to take with you into the next battle, and you can claim powerful rewards with each victory. Manage your fleet correctly, and you'll turn it into a powerful armada. Make too many mistakes, and your forces will dwindle as you run out of ships and eventually find the odds overwhelming.

　　

Screenshots

Gallery

　　

Trailers

　　Darryn Bonthuys on Google+