14 DAY TRIAL // Developer Blackbird Interactive and intellectual property holder Gearbox have announced that they have entered into a long-term partnership which will see Hardware: Shipbreakers become a Homeworld-themed video game.
The title will now be known as Homeworld: Shipbreakers and the two companies are working together to make sure that all the content and the mechanics reflect the core elements of the franchise.
Randy Pitchford, the leader of Gearbox, tells Polygon that, “These guys have been funded by private equity, but it's clear it was going to take many millions of dollars more. We're giving them the brand and the resources to make this happen. Now, these guys are cooking and with the money they have now, they can grow the team.”
The developer understands that his own studio lacks the experience to create a complex science fiction title and wants to make sure that Homeworld: Shipbreakers has the quality that fans of the series are expecting.
A number of the employees at Relic who have worked on the original series are now part of Blackbird Interactive.
Rob Cunningham, the chief executive officer at the studio, adds, “Hardware, in all respects, was Homeworld. It looked, sounded and felt the same, but we wanted to take that style and experience further. When acquired the property, it coincided with when we needed to find a partner.”
Shibreakers is structured as a prequel to the series and will ask players to develop a solid force in order to dominate a planet and battle a smart Artificial Intelligence.
Gearbox still has plans to remake and release the first two titles in the Homeworld series at some point in the near future.
After that, the company will evaluate the possibility of creating a full-fledged sequel that uses the core ideas of the franchise and updates them for a more modern strategy-focused audience.