Homeworld 3 delayed till May to incorporate player feedback to War Games demo
Homeworld 3's release date has been pushed back from March 8th to May 13th 2024, in order to build on player feedback to this 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 said Homeworld 3 demo and saying that while I am fully onboard with many aspects of the new space strategy game, I do have reservations about its controls.
Naturally, and self-flatteringly, I'm now petrified that I'm single-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."
Going by the reaction to the demo from RPS readers, it does sound like there's plenty to tweak, though many of you are enjoying the game. Here's a snippet from Cognac McCarthy, who's played more than I have and thinks the controls aren't really an issue - it's the UI design at large that needs work.
An issue
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