Homeworld 3 gets another delay in the middle of its Steam Next Fest demo after feedback from people who were brought in to "play through the full game"

Homeworld 3
(Image credit: Blackbird Interactive)

Long-awaited RTS revival Homeworld 3 has been delayed yet again.

Once slated for an early 2023 release after a previous delay, Homeworld 3 currently has a March 8 release date on Steam. That's now been moved to May 13, or really May 10 with advanced access via the game's fancy editions, following a delay announced smack in the middle of the game's ongoing Steam Next Fest demo offering.

"This was our first time seeing the game played at scale, which is always an equally thrilling and nerve-wracking moment," reads a statement from developer Blackbird Interactive and publisher Gearbox Publishing. "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.   

"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.

"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."

On the bright side, Steam Next Fest runs until February 12, so you've got a few days left to quench your thirst for sci-fi RTS action. This delay should also give Blackbird more time to act on feedback from this demo period, as well as the full playthroughs it apparently ran internally. But hey, at least we know it's mostly finished, and really, what's another few months at this point? (It's another few months is what it is, which may be especially painful to fans who tried the demo in the past few days and were getting hyped for the impending launch, but I digress.)

Blackbird founder Rob Cunningham previously said "Homeworld 3 was our original dream for Homeworld 2," adding that he's waited 20 years to make the dream RTS, which is apparently "way easier to play" than the first game. 

As our friends at Edge reported, Homeworld 3 recaptures the tone of the classic RTS while realigning it with a new generation

Austin Wood

Austin freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree, and he's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize that his position as a senior writer is just a cover up for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a focus on news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.