Blackbird Interactive released the first gameplay footage of Hardware: Shipbreakers, their first game, whose development started in 2010. Hardware is to be a Free to Play (F2P) sci-fi real-time strategy game. And, if you weren’t aware of this title yet prepare for a shock as it’s from the creators of Homeworld, the sci-fi RTS classic. Yes, Blackbird’s founders are a team of video game veterans which includes founders of Relic Entertainment.
There was already quite a buzz around this title for some time now, and the concept art and trailers released so far were indeed quite amazing. But, I decided to hold on Hardware’s coverage a bit more until there was something more substantial to show, gameplay-wise I mean. Well, Blackbird has just released a new trailer, and this time it does show the first few glimpses on the gameplay.
Quite promising stuff, isn’t it? And, you probably noticed something familiar about the music. The soundtrack is from Paul Ruskay, the same composer behind Homeworld’s music. And, what about that sound when you jump to tactical mode? And, the tactical mode look & feel itself? Yea, so Homeworld-ish as well.
Hardware: Shipbreakers will be released for both both PC and Mac (a Linux client is not envisaged at the moment). The closed beta should begin sometime in Q4 of 2013. The game release itself should happen somewhere in 2013 still. We’ll be watching it closely.
Oh, and these guys surely know how to make great concept art videos.
The Official Teaser Video
More here.
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Looks like the love child of Ground Control and Supreme Commander. Thanks for the heads up!
It reminded me of SupCom too. :)
I hear it’s gonna be a pay2win though, such a shame
I am free not to play.
I see what you did there.
I like the idea. Sign me in (I’ve registered for beta) :)
This looks like a combination of Homeworld and Ground Control. Great! Would be cool if it’d have a Single Player campaign though, I hardly play Online Multiplayer in strategy games. Especially since Homeworld had one of the most Single Player campaigns!
Its a pretty thing, but F2P sounds like multiplayer online oriented, so I most likely won’t be in on it.
Sadpanda.
This (not) free-to-play is the “new thing.” Such a shame. I’m totally burned out on MMOs and have no interest in online games: I want a game I can play then put away for a year or two then come back to it confident that it will still be there.
The videos look great, and the concept is intriguing, but the online f-t-p gimmick means I’ll pass.
I am going to be all over this.
When games were fun ,re-playable and did not impact on real life,..parents were happy for their kids to play those games.Games developers need to understand that their very existence depends on generating revenue through developing games that are ,fun to play,relatively inexpensive and not controlling the participating player to the point of having no life.,.. I’m now waiting for the backlash of comments from hardcore gamers ,.. of which I may add I have been in the past. Having played WoW (5 yrs), GW, GW2 (current), RIFT, EVE online, and many other games that try to “hook you in”, and offer “rewards”. It would be more lucrative to those companies if they concentrated their efforts on making games that were playable, imaginative and enjoyable to the consumer, ..a polished product, that has these basic fundamental ideas incorporated into the final package is the only way forward for the games industry in my opinion.,..achievements,rewards and eye candy are not enough!
I for one love the way it looks and feels !
That’s still another MMO (Massively Messy Online) game… Why oh why are people still developing online games that are meant to be single-played? Seems these days people get excited by a game, then comes the deal-breaker: “it’s an MMO” or “Free-to-play” game… The industry is silently going down. This comes directly from Blackbird Interactive’s Faq: “In HARDWARE: Shipbreakers, these extra purchases will be highly monitored and balanced as to avoid a pay-to-win model.” Yeaaahh Right…
DANG IT! I signed up for the beta just now not realizing this is going to be F2P. Did I miss that mentioned on the beta page?
Well, we mentioned it in the first paragraph ;)
Yes you did. I went straight from the email to YouTube then back here to post a comment.
I think this looks great and I do believe that F2P is not always bad. Several other titles have succeeded in not being a “pay-to-win” type of game. Online RTS by the creaters of Homeworld is a dream come true for me or I hope it is. Lets cross our fingers that this is going to be good and will still feature a nice single player campaign experience. :)