After the 2013 closure of THQ, several other developers and publishers raced to purchase the newly homeless leftover properties. Notable purchases from the THQ liquidation include Deep Silver acquiring Saints Row and Metro, and the Darksiders franchise going to Nordic Games. Borderlands and Brothers In Arms developer Gearbox Software is also listed among the developers who acquired late THQ properties, as the company purchased the rights to a franchise that only the most old-school of PC gamers may remember- Homeworld.
The original Homeworld was developed by Relic Entertainment and published by PC aficionado Sierra Entertainment. The space-combat RTS debuted back in 1999 as a Windows-only PC title. While another RTS title was making waves across the competitive multiplayer scene- StarCraft- Homeworld is notable as being the first RTS game to use fully 3D models in-game. Two follow-up games in the series were released in 2000 and 2003, with Homeworld: Cataclysm and Homeworld 2. When Relic was purchased by THQ in 2004, the rights and future of the RTS franchise were in limbo, until November 2007 when it was confirmed that all rights had been transferred over to THQ. After the THQ property liquidation, it was revealed that the rights to the Homeworld franchise had been successfully purchased by Texas-based development studio Gearbox Software. As the original versions of the Homeworld saga are incompatible with most modern-day systems, Gearbox has been working on HD versions to release sometime later this year.
During the Homeworld panel at Gearbox Community Day 2013, it was suggested that if there was enough interest from fans, then a Collector’s Edition release for Homeworld Remastered. Fortunately, the Remastered Collector’s Edition has become a reality, and will feature a USB-powered 13″ replica of the Hiigara Mothership from the original 1999 Homeworld cover art. While it may be for a digital copy, Amazon has begun taking pre-orders for the Remastered Collector’s Edition, to be distributed through Steam later on. The Amazon listing also reveals that the special edition will include a “die-cast Angel Moon Homeworld keychain” and a book containing unused concept art and lore from the Homeworld universe. No official release date has been set, but those who pre-order through Amazon will receive an activation key for a digital copy on Steam upon release.
Homeworld Remastered is expected to release in Fall 2014. The Collector’s Edition is currently listed at $99.99