Long-delayed real time strategy (RTS) game Homeworld 3 has received a free demo in Steam Next Fest, along with a new release date.
Developer Blackbird Interactive and publisher Gearbox announced the delay on X (formerly Twitter) yesterday evening (February 7).
“Watching you share your experiences, exchange and debate strategies, and give us constant feedback has been incredible. This was our first time seeing the game played at scale, which is always an equally thrilling and nerve-wracking moments,” the post read.
“We also recently gathered a dedicated group of players from outside our organizations to play through the full game. This resulted in additional insights and perspective that will be incorporated to make Homeworld 3 the best experience possible.”
The post then explained the reasoning beyond the latest delay, and offered an insight into when players can expect to have the game in their hands.
“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.”
A demo for the title is available as part of the currently ongoing Steam Next Fest event, which allows developers to put out demos for upcoming games and to receive feedback from players. The event runs for a week, ending on February 12, so there’s only a few more days to test out Homeworld 3.
Homeworld 3 is the first mainline game in the series since Homeworld 2 was released in 2003. It was originally planned to launch during the first half of 2023 before later being delayed to February 2024. It was then delayed again by a month to March 2024, before the latest delay pushed the game back to May 13.
Elsewhere in gaming, Persona 3 Reload has became the fastest-selling game published by developer Atlus after only one week on sale.