What you need to know
- After being slated to launch on March 8, 2024, space strategy game Homeworld 3 is being delayed yet again.
- According to Blackbird Interactive and Gearbox Publishing, the delay is meant to allow the team to respond to tester feedback.
- The new release date for the standard edition is May 13, with three-day early access for the Fleet Command edition.
- A co-op War Games demo is available to try right now.
Fleet command will have to wait a couple more months.
Homeworld 3 is being delayed yet again, as shared by the game's official Twitter account of Wednesday. The delay comes after "careful analysis of feedback" the teams received feedback from a group of testers that have played through all of Homeworld 3.
"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," the announcement reads.
This will be the fourth time Homeworld 3 was delayed. The game was originally delayed out of 2022 into the first half of 2023. From there, it was delayed to February 2024, before catching an admittedly tiny delay to March 8, 2024. Finally, it'll be slated to arrive on May 13, with three-day early access for anyone buying the Fleet Command edition.
Players can still try Homeworld 3 right now
Homeworld 3 currently has a demo available on Windows PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, allowing players to try out the War Games co-op roguelite mode. In War Games, up to three players team up, taking on randomized missions with a persistent fleet. If you're unsure that your PC is up to the task, be sure to consult the Homeworld 3 PC requirements. This demo will be available through Feb. 12, 2024, at at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET.
I previously interviewed some of the writers on Homeworld 3, who talked about how the story is about examining prior actions taking in the franchise and perhaps seeing those events in a new light.
Analysis: Issues on the production side?
I've basically given every company that delayed a game from 2022 to 2023 a lot more slack than I did before, with the realities of game development in a work-from-home world hitting hard and a lot of teams taking care to make sure their projects can be as good as possible. All of that applies to Homeworld 3. However, this latest delay pushes beyond that.
After three prior delays, the game was due out the first week of March. That's a month away. What kind of feedback would warrant delaying it a couple of months, and why was said feedback only happening right now? I'm not looking to place blame — I'm in the final stages of building a new gaming computer, and this is one of the first things I was looking forward to playing with it — but a fourth delay simply warrants some eyebrows going up.
All of that said, I really hope the game turns out great and fans (longtime or newcomers) get the experience they're hoping for.
