Escaping from the Boneyard under cover of a sandstorm, the Kapisi searches for their sister ship, the Kiith Siidim carrier Sakala, which also escaped its base after a Gaalsien attack. A masked Gaalsien commander named Khagaan declares that the Coalition's use of satellites and other space-based technology violates the law of the Great Maker, Sajuuk, and the Gaalsien declare war on the Coalition. The Gaalsien then attack the Kapisi at a S'jet base known as the Boneyard, while the Kapisi is undergoing final outfitting for desert operations. Shortly after the expedition departs, however, Kiith Gaalsien (a group of religious zealots exiled from mainstream Kharakian society) attack and destroy a number of Coalition bases, including Epsilon, and lay siege to the city of Tiir, the planetary capital. Rachel's expedition, centered around the Kiith S'jet land carrier Kapisi, departs from Epsilon Base in the Kharakian desert. An expedition had been sent by the Coalition of the Northern Kiithid, a group of Kushan clans from the northern polar region of Kharak, but had disappeared in the desert four years earlier the in-game campaign centers around a second expedition, and its chief science officer, Rachel S'jet. Then a satellite detects an object in the Great Banded Desert, known as the Jaraci Object, or the "primary anomaly". Kharak is a drying world, and the desert grows larger with each passing year. The game is set on the desert planet of Kharak, 106 years prior to the events of Homeworld. ( April 2020) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. This section's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. The Khaaneph fleet pack was released on 26 April 2016. A second DLC pack introduced the Khaaneph faction, clanless scavengers from Kharak's southern deserts who use salvaged Gaalsien technology. The pack is available as of 22 March 2016. Kiith Soban is a subfaction of the Northern Coalition, but with a number of unique differences, including their own version of the Carrier, Battlecruiser, Baserunner, and Railgun vehicles. On 15 March 2016, the Soban Fleet Pack was announced as Deserts of Kharak 's first in-game DLC pack, adding Kiith Soban as a playable faction in Skirmish and Multiplayer modes. Deserts of Kharak became available for purchase on Steam, along with the game's soundtrack by Paul Ruskay (who also composed the soundtracks for all of the previous Homeworld games), on the day the game launched.
Blackbird would later revive the Shipbreaker name and concept with the space salvage simulator Hardspace: Shipbreaker, released in early access on June 16, 2020.
The pre-order also came with a free copy of the interactive Expedition Guide, a DLC companion application to the game, which details the history of Kharak and its society, the expedition and its purpose, technical data on the vehicles used by the Coalition and the Gaalsien, and a behind-the-scenes look at Blackbird's founding and the eventual progression from Hardware: Shipbreakers to Deserts of Kharak. Pre-orders of Deserts of Kharak also included the Homeworld Remastered Collection for free, while those who already owned the Homeworld Remastered Collection received a 20% discount for their pre-order of Deserts of Kharak. The game also became available for pre-order on Steam on that date. On December 16, 2015, the game was officially announced as Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak. At the time, Blackbird was developing a ground-based RTS game entitled Hardware: Shipbreakers, which was subsequently renamed Homeworld: Shipbreakers and announced as a prequel to Homeworld.
Īfter obtaining the IP rights, Gearbox granted permission for use of the Homeworld IP to Blackbird Interactive, a company formed by members of the original Homeworld development team in 2007. Following this, they announced that they were remaking both Homeworld and Homeworld 2 in high definition, released on Steam in February 2015 as Homeworld Remastered Collection.
Gearbox Software bought the intellectual property rights to the Homeworld franchise during THQ's bankruptcy auction in 2013.