Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak trailer reveals the "Primary Anomaly"

Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak

Gearbox has released a story trailer for the twice-renamed sci-fi RTS Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak that digs into history of the people of Kharak, and the discover of the “Primary Anomaly” that set them on their quest to reclaim their homeworld of Hiigara.

The video is (or at least looks like) an in-engine cinematic rather than a demonstration of gameplay, but even so the Homeworld heritage is obvious. The massive, desert-crawling flattop is almost certainly the terrestrial equivalent of the Mothership, and the visual style and audio cues ring true, too. And is it just my imagination, or does the pair of red-trimmed fighter-like ships that flash across the screen at 1:34 look awfully Bentusi-like? I don't know how the Bentusi would figure into this stage of Kushan history, but as straight-up fan service a brief appearance wouldn't surprise me at all.

Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak is available for preorder on Steam, at 20 percent off the regular $50/£30 price for owners of the Homeworld Remastered Collection; non-owners will get the Homeworld Remastered Collection free with a regular-price preorder. It comes out on January 20.

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.