Homeworld 3 delayed yet again, now launching in May 2024

Someone needs to check the status of those warp engines
Homeworld 3 delayed yet again, now launching in May 2024
Homeworld 3 delayed yet again, now launching in May 2024 /

It looked like Homeworld 3 was finally on the last stretch of its journey towards release after a series of delays – however, Gearbox and Blackbird Interactive have had to step on the brakes once more. Instead of March 8, Homeworld 3 will be released on May 13, 2024.

“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,” the two companies said in a joint statement.

Homeworld 3 character artwork showing the command bridge of a starship.
Homeworld fans will need to be patient a while longer / Gearbox

Players currently have access to Homeworld 3’s roguelike co-op mode, War Games, during the Steam Next Fest and tests have been going on behind the scenes as well, so the developer has sourced feedback from many directions. Since the game has already been delayed a few times, this can’t have been an easy decision to make.

“To say that you as a community of players have been waiting patiently for this next installment would be an understatement, and we are deeply appreciative of that. We will continue to keep you updated on our progress,” the statement continued.

However, both the publisher and the developer have reasons for being careful with Homeworld 3: Gearbox is owned by Embracer Group, which is going through a devastating cost-cutting phase and has shown that failures can be punished harshly, as in the case of Volition, which was shut down after fumbling the Saints Row reboot. Blackbird Interactive recently stopped development on Minecraft Legends after player interest in the title waned despite the power of the Minecraft IP.

Homeworld 3 being a success right from the start is crucial for both parties.

Though player feedback on Homeworld 3 has been positive overall, there are some issues to iron out, such as the very buggy tutorial, the challenging camera controls, and unit pathfinding. The additional time will hopefully give the studio enough room to polish the game more. Plus, getting out of the hellish February-March 2024 release window, which is going to see many big launches, may be a smart move in general for the niche title.

Upcoming strategy games in 2024


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Marco Wutz
MARCO WUTZ

Marco Wutz is a writer from Parkstetten, Germany. He has a degree in Ancient History and a particular love for real-time and turn-based strategy games like StarCraft, Age of Empires, Total War, Age of Wonders, Crusader Kings, and Civilization as well as a soft spot for Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail. He began covering StarCraft 2 as a writer in 2011 for the largest German community around the game and hosted a live tournament on a stage at gamescom 2014 before he went on to work for Bonjwa, one of the country's biggest Twitch channels. He branched out to write in English in 2015 by joining tl.net, the global center of the StarCraft scene run by Team Liquid, which was nominated as the Best Coverage Website of the Year at the Esports Industry Awards in 2017. He worked as a translator on The Crusader Stands Watch, a biography in memory of Dennis "INTERNETHULK" Hawelka, and provided live coverage of many StarCraft 2 events on the social channels of tl.net as well as DreamHack, the world's largest gaming festival. From there, he transitioned into writing about the games industry in general after his graduation, joining GLHF, a content agency specializing in video games coverage for media partners across the globe, in 2021. He has also written for NGL.ONE, kicker, ComputerBild, USA Today's ForTheWin, The Sun, Men's Journal, and Parade. Email: marco.wutz@glhf.gg