Homefront: The Revolution will launch on May 17 for North America and May 20 for all other regions, as announced by publisher Deep Silver and developer Dambuster Studio. The open world-shooter will be available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Mac, and Linux. You can also check out the latest trailer below.
There will be a closed beta only on Xbox One starting in February. Deep Silver and Microsoft will be giving away the tokens necessary to participate over the next few weeks, but Dambuster Studio is also encouraging players to register on the Homefront website to receive notifications.
The game has had a tumultuous development history, to say the least. Its predecessor, Homefront, was developed by Kaos Studios, which was then shuttered by THQ in 2011. The reins were handed to Crytek UK, but THQ’s bankruptcy in 2012 complicated this arrangement. Eventually, Crytek bought the IP at auction, and then suffered financial issues of their own, selling the game to Deep Silver’s parent company, Koch media.
Given the constant changing of hands, Homefront: The Revolution has gone through several iterations. The final version is set in 2029, two years after the events of the original game. The fictional Greater Korean Republic, a more powerful, imperialistic evolution of the real-world North Korea, has focused its attention on the Eastern half of the United States, centering around Philadelphia, PA. The game uses the city as an open-world setting. Players will inhabit the character of Ethan “Birtdy” Brady, a young member of the resistance.
The game is divided into three separate zones. Red Zones are described as “war-ravaged wastelands, where the first armed uprising against the KPA Occupation was brutally crushed.” These areas are in a constant state of war between the KPA and the resistance. Next are Green Zones, which Deep Silver says are “highly militarised command centres from where the KPA exercise their power and control,” and where players will discover many of the iconic landmarks of Philadelphia, such as Independence Hall. Finally, there’s the Yellow Zones, which are densely populated areas of Philadelphia, structured as a mix between an Orwellian police state and a ghetto slum. The KPA rules these neighborhoods with a iron-clad 24-hour military presence.
Given the few depictions of Philadelphia in videogames, let’s hope that Dambuster Studio does the city of brotherly love justice. We’ll find out on May 17.
