The Homeworld series came back in a big way with the Remastered Collection released earlier this year. But that was just the beginning for this space RTS revival, as Gearbox and Blackbird Interactive have just announced the impending release of Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak. This game will serve as a prequel to the entire franchise, taking you back to the initial discovery that led to the events of the original Homeworld games.

“On January 20, 2016, the creators of Homeworld invite you to lead the expedition that started it all in Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak, a brand new sci-fi RTS from Blackbird Interactive, a studio founded by veterans of the Homeworld and Company of Heroes franchises. Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak takes players to the deserts of Kharak where danger lurks over every dune. Before you can find your Homeworld, you must first unlock the secrets of the desert.”

The game will be PC exclusive, and those that pre-order will receive a free copy of Homeworld Remasteres Collection. Those who already own that game will instead be offered a 20% discount off of this prequel.

“After more than a decade-long hiatus for Homeworld, it is an immense honor in the last year to launch two new entries in the Homeworld franchise: an incredible, critically acclaimed remastering of the original Homeworld games and now the all-new, ground-based, real-time-strategy game called Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak,” said Randy Pitchford, president of Gearbox Software. “This revival of Homeworld is possible not merely because of commitment within my studio at Gearbox Software, but is due to Rob and his crew at Blackbird, along with other key members of the original Homeworld team, who have come together to deliver a modern spin on the ground-based roots of the strategy genre with an epic story that takes us back to where the Homeworld saga began.”

Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak will hit PC on January 20th, 2016.

Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak Announce Trailer