Homeworld 3's latest free update and paid DLC probably won't fix its negative Steam reception

I was all set to plunge into Blackbird and Gearbox's Homeworld 3 this spring when I received a slightly underwhelmed intergalactic transmission from Nic, praising the game's atmosphere and story while ruminating over fussy controls and a want of tactical depth. Like a herd of frigates scenting a pride of destroyers lurking behind a nearby asteroid, I rerouted hastily and took up a holding position approximately one astronomical unit from the Buy button, hoping that the developers might iron out a few of the wrinkles.

I'm not sure if today's free Homeworld 3 update is the one I'm waiting for, but it does encompass "a host of gameplay improvements, bug fixes, [and] free Skirmish maps". It will launch alongside the Kalan Fleet pack DLC, which adds two new fleets to the space strategy sim's roguelike War Games mode, including the Kalan Raiders from the story, along with three new ships.

The Kalan Raider fleet are a mix of Kalan and repurposed Hiigaran ships. The other new fleet is the Capture Fleet, who blend Incarnate with Kalan vessels - guess what they're good at. If you guessed "stealing other people's frigates", then go away and sulk, for I have no medals to give out. The DLC also includes 11 new challenges and 40 Artifacts. I don't get the sense that all of this will address the complaints I'm reading on the Steam forums about the single player campaign and - oh wow, the current Steam user review consensus is Mostly Negative. Is it really that bad?

Revealed to much rejoicing in 2019, Homeworld 3 has had a troubled gestation. It was repeatedly delayed to address player feedback, with the controls proving a particular bugbear. Creators Blackbird laid off staff in February this year following some unannounced project cancellations.

According to Blackbird's season pass roadmap from April, we can expect another paid Homeworld 3 DLC in October which adds a new playable faction, starting fleets, faction artifacts and challenges. There's also a further free update in the works with maps and challenges for around the end of the year. A third paid DLC pack and free update combo are planned for 2025, with a similar balance of goodies.

It's hard to imagine all that moving the needle of player reactions to the story campaign, but still - best of luck, Blackbird. This is deep space survey ship USG Evans-Thirlwell, signing off until further notice.

Little update: the game's Steam user review consensus was Overwhelmingly Negative at the time of writing but had changed to Mostly Negative soon after publication. Given the timing, I've decided to change the headline and body copy to suit.