First announced in September 2013 as an extension to the Homeworld IP. Hardspace Shipbreakers was unveiled at the time as Homeworld: Shipbreakers after changing the name from Hardware: Shipbreakers. Ultimately Gearbox’s lack of plans for the Homeworld IP would see the project shelved until 2020. When Blackbird announced it in April, it’s resurrection came under the final name Hardspace: Shipbreaker.
No longer a part of the Homeworld universe, the game carries the original design of having players disassemble derelict spaceships while avoiding an untimely death stemming from unforeseen consequences.
With each ship is described as a “minefield” with “every cut a potential danger,” players are expected to die a lot. Boasting a “next-generation” physics engine, the game allows players to go about disassembling ships in any manner they see fit. With that level of freedom comes immense risk. Cut in the wrong spot, and the fuel lines will combust. Blowing you into the depth of space or if you are genuinely an unfortunate soul reducing the entire derelict to unsellable bits.
A keen awareness of your location will go along way in preventing you from blowing yourself and your work up. It will also help you avoid decompressing the compartment you are in, hurling yourself into the cold murderous vacuum of space. Fortunately, this is the future, so upon your untimely and very costly death, you will be cloned back into existence and given another shot at making the mad profit if you didn’t blow the ship up.
Why do you need the money? To upgrade your equipment and pay off a small debt of a mere one billion credits that you own to your employer, LYNX Corp.
Hardspace: Shipbreaker will launch into early access on Steam on June 16th with PlayStation 4 and Xbox One launch on a yet to be determined date. According to the steam page, the game will remain in early access for about a year, but potentially longer depending on how smoothly development goes. At launch, it will feature the first act of the campaign but expects the complete campaign at 1.0 to have more and larger ships and a full 40+ hour campaign ready to go.
