Humankind is a game I’m very interested in. Not that it should come as a surprise, strategy games are always my thing. The very first time I got a look at it was when it was revealed at Gamescom last year, where I was able to preview it and also interview Jeff Spock, the narrative director of Humankind. Recently I was also able to get hands-on with the OpenDev sessions, which I also wrote about.
But this piece isn’t about a hands-on or an interview (though one is coming), this is about some other big news. What is that? Well, we now have a release date for Humankind, pre-orders are now available, including that of a digital deluxe edition, and we now know that it will be launching on Stadia at the same time as it will be on the PC.
Let’s talk about Stadia first. Yes, Humankind will be coming to stadia when the game launches in April 2021. Okay, so we don’t have an exact launch date, but we know it’s going to be in April. For those curious how the game is going to play on Stadia, or for those of you with Stadia and wanting something to try out, Amplitude and SEGA have now released a Stadia exclusive OpenDev session.
What can you do in this session? Play the first 100 turns of the game as it stands right now. Specifically, this is what the devs are saying you’ll find in the OpenDev session:
You’ll traverse the Ancient Era as the Nubians, and then, for the very first time, play through the Classical Era as whichever of the 10 available cultures you’d like to choose.
From what you’ve played, you can give feedback to the developers at Amplitude and let them know what works and what doesn’t. Having spoken to the team, you’ll find my interview by the end of the week, this is something the team really pays attention to. The best part about it, anybody can get access to the session. Anybody with a Google account can give it a go. Of course, you can always jump in and sign up for the free month of Stadia too.
As for the pre-orders/pre-purchases and deluxe editions of Humankind. If you pre-purchase the game, you’ll gain access to this content:
Boudicca Avatar Set – Adds Boudicca Set to customize you Avatar
Player Profile Pre-Purchase Decoration – Adds an exclusive Decoration to customize your Player Profile
Player Profile Symbol Set – Adds 10 exclusive Symbols to customize your Player Profile
Should you go for the Digital Deluxe Edition of Humankind, this is what you’ll find:
HUMANKIND™ Digital Game – HUMANKIND™ base game
In-Game Notre-Dame Pack
Notre-Dame Wonder – to be built in game
Notre-Dame Narrative Events – Adds Narrative Events themed around Wonders such as Notre-Dame
Victor Hugo Avatar Set – Adds Victor Hugo Set to customize your Avatar
“Inspirational” Avatar Personality – Adds the “Inspirational” Personality to customize your Avatar
Official Digital Soundtrack – All HUMANKIND™ tracks created by Arnaud Roy (previously known as FlybyNo) in .mp3 format
Unit & Tech Tree .pdf – An at-a-glance view of the full Unit & Tech Trees of the game
There will also be a physical version of the game at select retailers, featuring either a steelbook or eco-friendly packaging. This version will also feature a physical version of the unit and tech tree, rather than the digital deluxe version. Also, this version will feature a two-sided decision coin, should you find yourself not sure which direction to go with your empire.
Again, Humankind will be releasing on the PC and Stadia in April 2021. Also, stay tuned for an interview I had with the developers on this news and more.