What you need to know
- During the November 2023 PC Gaming Show, Blackbird Interactive and Gearbox Publishing shared that Homeworld 3 has been delayed one more time.
- After being delayed out of 2023 to February 2024, Homeworld 3 is now slated to launch on March 8, 2024.
- Preorders for the game are now live, with the standard, deluxe, Fleet Command, and Collector's Edition available.
- Anyone that preorders the Fleet Command or Collector's Edition of the game can start playing early on March 5, 2024.
Update: This story originally stated the documentary was coming in December 2024 instead of December 2023, based on an incorrect press release. It has been edited.
Original story:
We've finally got an exact date for the return to Hiigaran space.
Blackbird Interactive and Gearbox Publishing showed up during the PC Gaming Show on Thursday to reveal that upcoming science-fiction RTS Homeworld 3 is launching on March 8, 2024. This new release date is a slight delay, pushing the game just barely out of the previously-announced February 2024 window. Preorders for Homeworld 3 are live now on Steam and Epic Games Store.
In a press release, Rob Cunningham, CEO of Blackbird Interactive, said that "Homeworld 3 is a game 20+ years in the making. The team has gone all out to develop the ultimate cinematic sci-fi strategy game our very patient fans deserve. Blackbird Interactive was born to create this game and we can’t wait to get it in the hands of sci-fi lovers and a whole new generation of PC gamers in March of 2024.”
What versions of Homeworld 3 are available for preorder?
There are four editions of Homeworld 3 available for preorder, with the standard edition, deluxe edition, Fleet Command, and Collector's Edition available for $59.99, $79.99, $89.99, and $174.99, respectively. While all preorders are getting a bonus skin, the deluxe edition includes a War Games Year One pass, which will add new factions to the roguelike co-op mode.
The Fleet Command Edition throws in some extra customization options like decals, as well as including a digital copy of the soundtrack and the ability to play three days early on March 5, 2024. Finally, the Collector's Edition packs in a lithograph, a deck of cards, and figurines of multiple in-game ships made to scale.
A peek into Homeworld 3's development
Alongside the release date reveal, Blackbird Interactive and Gearbox Publishing shared that a documentary is on the way, which will detail the development of Homeworld 3. There's not many other details right now, but we can currently expect this documentary to arrive sometime later in December 2023.
Analysis: Finally
I've been looking forward to this game for a long time, and others besides me have been looking forward to it for even longer, so I'm happy we finally have a release date. I know one more delay is slightly irritating, but it's an extremely minor bump and February is already up to its eyeballs in alligators, so I totally get moving things.
If you haven't yet, I encourage you to read my interview with some of the writers on Homeworld 3, a conversation that has left me extremely excited to tear into the campaign next year.
I'm also happy we're getting a documentary about the game. I love documentaries that dive into just how difficult it can be to make a game, like the recent Half-Life documentary put together by Valve.
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