Space Strategy: ‘Homeworld: Vast Reaches’ Brings the Classic Series to Meta Quest Today

In 1999, the original Homeworld released to widespread acclaim. Set exclusively in the vast reaches of space, Homeworld quickly became known for its storytelling and its groundbreaking full-3D battles, with squadrons of nimble fighters weaving around heavier capital ships in an ethereal dance among the stars.

We’re only a few weeks out from the release of the long-awaited Homeworld 3 on PC, but Homeworld: Vast Reaches releases today on Meta Quest 2 and 3, courtesy of developer FarBridge Inc.

No longer limited by a flat screen, Homeworld: Vast Reaches enables you to build and command your fleet from the frontlines, an omniscient observer of these deadly duels. In other words, you can now see Homeworld’s iconic 3D battles in, well, 3D.

You’ll need to get creative to fend off the encroaching Radaa threat, interstellar traders bent on stealing Hiigara’s hyperspace core. Homeworld: Vast Reaches takes place between the events of Homeworld and Homeworld 2, and longtime fans might recognize a few familiar faces over the course of the campaign.

We sat down with Richard Rouse III, Creative Director at FarBridge, to discuss how this new Homeworld game came about, redesigning a beloved series from the ground up for VR, beginner tips, and more.

Read on for the full interview, or kick off your journey through space by picking up Homeworld: Vast Reaches on the Meta Quest Store.

Richard Rouse III: Yes, Homeworld: Vast Reaches is an entirely new story. We knew we were building a new game for VR and MR, so it made sense to also create a new story that fit our original design and give Homeworld fans a new chapter in the world they love.

Our story takes place between the events of Homeworld and Homeworld 2, at a time when the original Fleet Command Karan S’jet has disconnected from the Mothership. After leading her people to their Homeworld of Hiigara in the first game, she’s getting some well-earned rest—but there are concerns that a new threat to the Hiigarans may be emerging.

The Mothership is enlisted into the conflict and a new Fleet Command must be recruited to take over. Tyrra Soban is more militaristic than Karan, which brings with it both advantages and challenges when it comes to running the Mothership and the entire fleet.

Committed to the Mothership and her people, Karan S’jet acts as a mentor to Tyrra by giving her guidance and counsel every step of the way.

RR: Definitely! Homeworld has always been about this immersive 3D realization of space. From the dynamic fully 3D dogfights to the incredible scale between the giant mothership and the smallest fighter craft, it’s a style of world that really benefits from being played in VR and MR.

Fans have been asking for a Homeworld experience in VR for years and we’re very excited to be able to give them that with Homeworld: Vast Reaches. It was awesome working with the good folks at Gearbox to create a new Homeworld game and making it the most immersive experience possible. The epic scale of everything is really impressive when you put on the headset, whether you are playing in VR or MR.

We also really embraced the concept of Fleet Command, where a person gives up their human perceptions to become central cognition and commander of an entire armada of ships with different abilities and needs. We wanted to immerse you in that viewpoint in a way only VR or MR can.

RR: Our goal from the beginning was to build a game explicitly for VR/MR, and that meant completely reimagining the controls. From how you command ships, to how you move your viewpoint through the world, to being able to dynamically adjust the scale of the world mid-battle, our new control format immerses you in the role of Fleet Command in a way never before possible.

It’s something we think VR enthusiasts will love, and will also give Homeworld fans a new way to play and experience the universe they love. We made sure to provide a lot of adaptability and options with the controls so people can customize their experience to be as comfortable or fast-paced as they’d like, depending on their preferences.

One of our big new designs was reworking how your Strike Group formations function in the game—since this is VR, you put them together by hand, shaping them into whatever formation you want for combat. You can be completely precise and tactical in your formation layout choices or just shape them into something you think looks cool and see how long it lasts in space combat!

RR: Beyond balancing out your Strike Groups to have just the right ship compositions and layouts, tapping into the special abilities is key to succeeding in your missions, particularly in the higher difficulties.

Special abilities are best triggered at exactly the right moment in combat, whether it’s the Concentrated Fire ability that briefly boosts your combat effectiveness of your Strike Craft, or the large shield you can bring up with the Barricade Frigate, or unleashing a missile barrage with the Ballistic Destroyer. Setting these off at just the right moment can make all the difference in a battle.

RR: We’ve got some really exciting projects in the works, including some set in other well-loved universes in addition to our own internally developed IP. We can’t say much yet, but we’re really looking forward to sharing more about that with players in the future!

RR: The team at FarBridge not only boasts some amazing talent—everyone is also deeply passionate about the worlds we get to work and play in. We take great pride in creating worlds you can get lost in, whether that’s a new tale in the beloved space saga Homeworld, or our own original dark worlds.

We’re all honored to have gotten to work in this universe, and we can’t wait until players get a chance to get lost in Homeworld: Vast Reaches!

Ready for Fleet Command? Homeworld: Vast Reaches is available now in the Meta Quest Store.