Denuvo and Homeworld 3's User Agreement Aren't Game's Only Problems. New Installment of Iconic RTS Series Didn't Win Players Approval
Homeworld 3 didn't turn out terribly, but even without Denuvo and the controversial provisions in Gearbox's EULA, players see reasons to complain about the Blackbird Interactive studio's game.
Fans might have had concerns about the new full-fledged installment of the Homeworld series. However, not only the game quality itself raises concerns among some players (the title also has its own fans). Homeworld 3 has also caused buyers to be reluctant due to its controversial end-user license agreement (EULA).
As one of the reviewers on Steam points out, the "third" installment of the strategic series uses Denuvo, which could be irritating for some buyers. Many gamers still believe that this technology harms game performance and creates more issues for legitimate buyers than for crackers, such as limiting the number of installations.
However, the provisions in the EULA regarding information collected by the publisher cause more justified frustration. As we read, Gearbox Publishing reserves the right to collect information such as e-mail, but also home address and telephone number. There is also a mention of "demographic data," i.e. age and date of birth, gender, marital status, education, etc.
New-old EULA
It appears that this isn't a novelty. Buyers of Relic Hunters released in September 2023 are subject to the same agreement, but this doesn't apply to players of the more recent Risk of Rain Returns and Torchlight III from over four years ago.
It's worth noting that currently, this second game is being published under the name of Arc Games (previously Gearbox Publishing San Francisco; the name change resulted from Gearbox Software's sale to Take-Two Interactive). However, it was originally published by Gearbox Publishing, as can be seen in the EULA (last updated on December 31, 2019). Judging by the company's official website, the change occurred over two years ago.
Players are clearly not happy with them, regardless of when Gearbox added these records (via Steam). Perhaps this is one of the reasons for the "mixed" reception of Homeworld 3 on Steam. At the moment this news was published, only 58% of the 1239 user reviews were positive (54% out of 762 reviews, if only counting those displayed by default on the game card).
However, a look at the buyers' allegations (not only on Steam but also on social media) shows that the EULA case may not have had a major impact on the reception of the games (so far). The campaign plot has sparked more complaints, particularly among older fans of the series, and our reviewer also expressed dissatisfaction with it.
