I don’t want to say I told you so, and I won’t, because TeamPixel at least seem to be honouring their promise to refund everyone who pledged, meaning that perhaps they were simply naive rather than con artists. So what happened to the Homeworld license?
It’s gone to Gearbox, they behind Borderlands 2:
Gearbox Software has prevailed as the highest bidder in the acquisition of the Homeworld franchise from THQ. Brian Martel, Gearbox Software’s Chief Creative Officer, has great love and respect for Relic’s brilliant, fun and innovative game and personally spearheaded the acquisition.
Brian intends as first priority to direct Gearbox’s interest to preserve and assemble the purest form of the original acclaimed and beloved games, Homeworld and Homeworld 2, with the intent of making them accessible on today’s leading digital platforms.
For such a big developer to acquire the license (and probably at significant cost) probably does mean that we’ll see a Homeworld game, if for no other reason than to recoup the associated costs. Whether their definition of “today’s leading digital platforms” includes Macs is anyone’s guess at this point, but we’ll be keeping a close eye on this.
Gearbox are actively seeking feedback from fans via their forums, so head over there if you’ve any interest in helping them shape (or even make) the game.