Strategy game Humankind delayed until August 17

(Image credit: SEGA)

Humankind, the upcoming 4X strategy game from former Ubisoft developers, has been delayed until August 17.

News of this delay comes from the Humankind YouTube channel which posted a video thanking the community for its feedback after its recent beta. Developer Amplitude Studios responded to players through a text scrawl over footage of streamers playing through the beta. However the big news came at the end of the video when the release date of August 17 appeared on screen, confirming a second delay for the title.

Humankind was originally scheduled to release in late 2020, but it was delayed until April 11 back in the summer of 2020. The news of that first delay was sweetened somewhat with the announcement of the recently-completed LUCY OpenDev beta, but it looks like Amplitude Studios has some more tweaks to make before Humankind is ready to ship.

Amplitude Studios is probably best known for its work on Endless Space, another 4X strategy title, but it was clear from the off that it wanted to explore something different with Humankind. Rather than focusing on an end goal of conquering the globe, Humankind uses a Fame system which rewards you for your civilisation’s memorable deeds throughout the ages. It’s not about the destination, it’s about how your empire will be remembered.

Given the current pandemic and some high-profile yet tumultuous launches, it’s not too surprising that we’re seeing more and more games delayed into late 2021 and beyond. The ongoing disruption caused by remote working appears to have many developers and publishers taking the extra time to make sure their products are ready to ship before putting them in consumers hands, which can only be a good thing.

If you’re looking forward to Humankind and need something to tide you over until August then check out our best strategy games roundup.