Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak
A ground-based prequel to the classic space RTS Homeworld.
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak is a real-time strategy title from Blackbird Interactive, published by Gearbox Software. It came out on January 20, 2016, and acts as a prequel to the 1999 space-based real-time strategy game Homeworld, taking place on the desert world of Kharak 106 years before the original story begins.
Gearbox acquired the Homeworld intellectual property during THQ’s bankruptcy auction in 2013. Soon after, they announced high-definition remakes of both Homeworld and Homeworld 2, which were released on Steam in February 2015 as the Homeworld Remastered Collection. With the IP rights secured, Gearbox allowed Blackbird Interactive—a studio founded in 2007 by veterans of the original Homeworld team—to use the franchise. At the time, Blackbird was working on a ground-based RTS called Hardware: Shipbreakers. That project was later renamed Homeworld: Shipbreakers and positioned as a prequel to Homeworld. On December 16, 2015, the game was officially unveiled as Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak and made available for pre-order on Steam that same day. Pre-orders included a free copy of the Homeworld Remastered Collection; those who already owned the collection received a 20% discount on their pre-order. The pre-order also came with a free interactive Expedition Guide DLC, which covers Kharak’s history and society, the expedition’s purpose, technical details on Coalition and Gaalsien vehicles, and a behind-the-scenes look at Blackbird’s founding and the transition from Hardware: Shipbreakers to Deserts of Kharak. Blackbird later revived the Shipbreaker name with the space salvage simulator Hardspace: Shipbreaker, which entered early access on June 16, 2020. Deserts of Kharak launched on Steam alongside its soundtrack, composed by Paul Ruskay, who also scored all previous Homeworld games.
On March 15, 2016, the Soban Fleet Pack was announced as the game’s first in-game DLC, adding Kiith Soban as a playable faction in Skirmish and Multiplayer modes. Kiith Soban is a subfaction of the Northern Coalition with unique versions of the Carrier, Battlecruiser, Baserunner, and Railgun vehicles. The pack became available on March 22, 2016. A second DLC pack introduced the Khaaneph faction—clanless scavengers from Kharak’s southern deserts who use salvaged and heavily modified Gaalsien technology—released on April 26, 2016.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak
- Developer
- Blackbird Interactive
- Publisher
- Gearbox Software
- Producer
- Jeff Lydell
- Designer
- Rory McGuire
- Programmer
- Gerald Orban
- Artist
- Karl Gryc
- Composer
- Paul Ruskay
- Engine
- Unity
- Series
- Homeworld
- Platforms
- Windows · OS X
- Released
- January 20, 2016 / (Windows) · June 21, 2016 / (OS X)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The game is set on the desert planet of Kharak, a dying world where the desert grows larger each year. A satellite detects the 'Jaraci Object' in the Great Banded Desert. The campaign centers on a second expedition led by chief science officer Rachel S'jet, ancestor of Karan S'jet from Homeworld, following a first expedition that disappeared four years earlier. After the expedition departs, Kiith Gaalsien—religious zealots exiled from mainstream Kharakian society—attack Coalition bases, declaring war over the Coalition's use of space-based technology. The player commands the Coalition of the Northern Kiithid, a loose alliance of clans from the northern polar regions, including S'jet, Soban, Naabal, Manaan, and Somtaaw, each providing different vehicle designs. The story follows the Kapisi carrier as it searches for its sister ship Sakala, encounters the wreck of the first expedition's carrier Ifriit Naabal, and ultimately discovers that the Jaraci Object is the mythical Khar-Toba—an ancient starship buried in the sand. The campaign concludes with Rachel S'jet using a Taiidan carrier's transponder to direct an orbital weapon satellite against the Gaalsien flagship, while the K'Had Sajuuk prophesies that Kharak will be destroyed by fire from the sky.
Reader's Guide
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak is notable as the first ground-based entry in the Homeworld franchise, shifting from space to a desert planet while maintaining the series' strategic depth. Developed by Blackbird Interactive, a studio formed by members of the original Homeworld development team, the game originated from a project called Hardware: Shipbreakers before being renamed under the Homeworld IP after Gearbox Software acquired the franchise rights in 2013. The game's release was accompanied by a pre-order promotion that included the Homeworld Remastered Collection for free, and those who already owned the collection received a 20% discount. Post-launch, two DLC packs expanded the playable factions: the Soban Fleet Pack (March 22, 2016) added Kiith Soban as a subfaction of the Northern Coalition with unique vehicles, and the Khaaneph Fleet Pack (April 26, 2016) introduced clanless scavengers using salvaged Gaalsien technology. The game's soundtrack was composed by Paul Ruskay, who also composed music for all previous Homeworld games. Blackbird Interactive later revived the Shipbreaker name with the space salvage simulator Hardspace: Shipbreaker, released in early access on June 16, 2020.
Did You Know?
- The game was originally developed under the title Hardware: Shipbreakers before being renamed Homeworld: Shipbreakers and finally Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak.
- Pre-orders of Deserts of Kharak included the Homeworld Remastered Collection for free.
- The game's composer, Paul Ruskay, also composed the soundtracks for all previous Homeworld games.
- The Khaaneph faction DLC introduced clanless scavengers who use salvaged, heavily modified Gaalsien technology.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak?
It is a real-time strategy game built by Blackbird Interactive and shipped by Gearbox Software, hitting shelves on January 20, 2016. The title functions as a ground-based prequel to the 1999 space RTS Homeworld, shifting the player's battlefield onto the dusty surface of the planet Kharak.
How did Gearbox end up publishing a Homeworld game?
Gearbox Software purchased the Homeworld franchise rights at the 2013 THQ bankruptcy auction. They first delivered the Homeworld Remastered Collection on Steam in February 2015, and then green-lit Deserts of Kharak as a new, standalone entry.
When does the Deserts of Kharak storyline take place relative to the original Homeworld?
The narrative is set roughly 106 years before the events of the 1999 Homeworld, following the early Hiigaran settlers as they struggle to survive on the harsh desert world of Kharak.
How is Deserts of Kharak's gameplay different from classic Homeworld?
Where the original Homeworld pits fleets against each other across star systems, Deserts of Kharak transplants the RTS loop onto a planetary surface with ground units, terrain-based tactics, and resource gathering in a terrestrial environment.
Who composed the soundtrack for Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak?
The game's score was composed by Paul Ruskay, who crafted a soundtrack designed to evoke the vast, arid landscapes of Kharak while honoring the orchestral tradition of the earlier Homeworld titles.
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