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Homeworld 3 delayed till May to incorporate player feedback to War Games demoSeeing game played publicly was “equally thrilling and nerve-wracking”, say devs
Seeing game played publicly was “equally thrilling and nerve-wracking”, say devs
Image credit:Gearbox Publishing
Image credit:Gearbox Publishing
Homeworld 3’s release date has been pushed back from March 8th to May 13th 2024, in order to build on player feedback tothis week’s Steam Next Fest War Games demo, which will be available till February 12th, 10am PT or 6pm GMT. The associated joint statement from developers Blackbird Interactive and publishers Gearbox arrived within hours of me posting about saidHomeworld 3demo and saying that while I am fully onboard with many aspects of the new spacestrategygame, I do have reservations about its controls.
Naturally, and self-flatteringly, I’m now petrified thatI’msingle-handedly responsible for the delay. Please come back, Homeworld 3! I didn’t mean it! I’m pretty sure I’ll acclimatise to the control scheme with practice! True-3D starfleet management is always a bit fiddly! Besides which, I might not get to review it now!! I’m moving flat in May!!!
“Watching you share your experiences, exchange and debate strategies, and give us constant feedback has been incredible,” reads the statement. “This was our first time seeing the game played at scale, which is always an equally thrilling and nerve-wracking moment.
“We also recently gathered a dedicated group of players from outside our organizations to play through the full game,” it continues. “This resulted in additional insights and perspective that will be incorporated to make Homeworld 3 the best experience possible.
“After careful analysis of feedback, we made the decision to delay the global launch of Homeworld 3 until May 13, with advanced access set for May 10, to ensure that we’re making the final tweaks needed to deliver at the level of quality that we strive for and you deserve.”
And here’s Dave L, with thoughts on the fussy business of hiding your ships behind asteroids.
I think throwing players straight into dealing with megaliths and stuff was a bit of a mistake. It’s a pretty big departure from classic Homeworld, and experienced players of ground-based RTSes are going to have a hard time dealing with the 3D camera and movement controls already. Starting with some wide open space maps and gradually introducing the structures would work better.
Delays notwithstanding, Homeworld 3 remains one of ourmost anticipated games of 2024.
