| Homeworld 3 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Blackbird Interactive |
| Publisher(s) | Gearbox Publishing |
| Director(s) | Rob Cunningham |
| Writer(s) | Martin Cirulis |
| Composer(s) | Paul Ruskay |
| Series | Homeworld |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 4 |
| Platform(s) | Windows |
| Release | May 13, 2024 |
| Genre(s) | Real-time strategy |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Homeworld 3 is an upcoming real-time strategy video game being developed by Blackbird Interactive and published by Gearbox Software. The game is scheduled to be released on May 13, 2024.
Homeworld 3 is a 3D real-time strategy game set in space. According to the developers, following the responses to partner surveys, the game boasts an extensive campaign mode, giving solo gameplay an important role. [1] As with the other games in the franchise, combat gameplay is built around an effective 3D ballistics system. [2] One of the new major gameplay features is huge megaliths and trenches; massive space structures that will add coverage strategies for small spacecraft. [3] [4] The game will launch with a new co-op mode that "will fuse Homeworld’s RTS gameplay with a roguelike structure" [5]
Homeworld 3 is set after the events of the previous two games. After a successful victory over the Vaygr, Karan S’Jet was able to open the ancient hyperspace gate network across the galaxy, unveiling the "Age of S'jet", an era of galactic trading and development, but this golden age seems to have reached the end: while she was opening gates at the edge of the galaxy, Karan disappeared and a mysterious scourge known as "The Anomaly" has started to spread across the galaxy, darkening entire star systems and threatening the existence of all sentient beings. One-hundred years after the disappearance of Karan, the fate of the galaxy is now in the hand of Imogen S'jet, her successor, who has dispatched a fleet in the hope of understanding and defeating the Anomaly. [6] [7]
The Homeworld series dates back to 1999. Following THQ's purchase of intellectual property rights to the franchise, further developments were halted after the release of Homeworld 2 in 2003. The franchise was dormant until 2013 when its rights were bought from THQ by Gearbox Software. [8]
The announcement of Homeworld 3 follows the release of the Homeworld Remastered Collection , as well as the prequel Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak . The Remastered Collection's positive critical reviews and as well as the Deserts of Kharak's sales performance were enough [ citation needed ] to convince publisher Gearbox and the affiliated development studio Blackbird Interactive to follow up with the creation of a new game, in direct continuity with the original saga. [9]
The development of the game started around 2017 [10] and, despite being already full funded by Gearbox, Blackbird Interactive launched a successful mixed crowdfunding/investment campaign on Fig in late 2019 which went on to generate the highest donation average in the platform's history. [11] [12] Along with this campaign, the team allows contributors to take part in exclusive surveys, in order to determine which elements of the original trilogy were most appreciated and hence guide future development. [13]
Some key personnel from the original development studio Relic (now working for Blackbird Interactive) are among the teams developing the game, namely design director Rob Cunningham, score creator Paul Ruskay, and Homeworld Cataclysm's writer Martin Cirulis. [14] [15] [10] The number of people working on the game is about 40. [10]
Gearbox was acquired by Embracer Group in February 2021. As a result, Gearbox had to cancel the investment portion of the Fig campaign in June 2021, prior to obtaining money from those that had pledged to invest. No change was made to those that backed the game through the crowdfunding mechanism. [16]
On June 10, 2022 it was revealed that Homeworld 3 has been delayed to the first half of 2023 [17] [18] and on August 23, during the Gamescom the first gameplay trailer was released. [19] In May 2023, the game was delayed to February 2024. [20] On December 1, 2023, Gearbox announced that the game would be released on March 8, 2024. [21] On February 7, 2024, the developers stated the release would be delayed to May 13. [22]
Relic Entertainment Inc. is a Canadian video game developer based in Vancouver, founded in 1997. The studio specializes in real-time strategy games and is known for series such as Homeworld, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War and Company of Heroes. Acquired by THQ in 2004, the company was sold to Sega on January 22, 2013 as part of THQ's bankruptcy. Relic Entertainment became a wholly owned subsidiary of Sega Europe.
Homeworld 2 is a real-time strategy video game sequel to Homeworld, developed by Relic Entertainment and released in 2003 by now defunct publisher Sierra Entertainment. Its story concerns Hiigara's response to a new enemy called the Vaygr. Its gameplay takes a new direction with the enhancement of its graphics and audio. In contrast to the closely equivalent Kushan and Taiidan forces of the original game, Vaygr and Hiigaran spaceships differ significantly in design and application.
Gearbox Software is an American video game development company based in Frisco, Texas. It was established as a limited liability company in February 1999 by five developers formerly of Rebel Boat Rocker. Randy Pitchford, one of the founders, serves as president and chief executive officer. Gearbox initially created expansions for the Valve game Half-Life, then ported that game and others to console platforms. In 2005, Gearbox launched its first independent set of games, Brothers in Arms, on console and mobile devices. It became their flagship franchise and spun off a comic book series, television documentary, books, and action figures. Their second original game series, Borderlands, commenced in 2009, and by 2015 had sold over 26 million copies. The company also owns the intellectual property of Duke Nukem and Homeworld.
Homeworld is a real-time strategy video game developed by Relic Entertainment and published by Sierra Studios on September 28, 1999, for Windows. Set in space, the science fiction game follows the Kushan exiles of the planet Kharak after their home planet is destroyed by the Taiidan Empire in retaliation for developing hyperspace jump technology. The survivors journey with their spacecraft-constructing mothership to reclaim their ancient homeworld of Hiigara from the Taiidan, encountering a variety of pirates, mercenaries, traders, and rebels along the way. In each of the game's levels, the player gathers resources, builds a fleet, and uses it to destroy enemy ships and accomplish mission objectives. The player's fleet carries over between levels and can travel in a fully three-dimensional space within each level rather than being limited to a two-dimensional plane.
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Fig was a crowdfunding platform for video games. It launched in August 2015. Unlike traditional crowdfunding approaches like Kickstarter, where individuals can back a project to receive rewards, Fig used a mixed model that includes individual backing and the opportunity for uncredited investors to invest as to obtain a share of future revenues for successful projects. At the end of 2017, four projects had begun generating returns, returning 245% to Fig investors.
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak is a real-time strategy video game developed by Blackbird Interactive and published by Gearbox Software. The game was released on January 20, 2016, and is a prequel to the 1999 space-based real-time strategy video game Homeworld.
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Homeworld is a series of real-time strategy video games created by Relic Entertainment. Relic Entertainment developed the first two Homeworld games. The series then spent over a decade in dormancy until Gearbox Software acquired the franchise in 2012 and tasked Blackbird Interactive to develop Homeworld 3, the third mainline installment of the franchise, and the spin-off game Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak.
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