The strategy game Humankind is currently in development by Amplitude Studios and was another title that suffered delays due to the pandemic. Now, Humankind has a 2021 release window, and a new trailer that premiered during the Game Awards 2020 has confirmed the developers are sticking to it. Along with the trailer was an announcement that those who pre-purchase the title on Steam will get something extra.
What they'll receive is access to the "LUCY" OpenDev Beta on December 15th, where players will play as Lucy, the star of the latest trailer. The game has been compared to another popular strategy title, Civilization, and it's easy to see some noticeable similarities. Like the iconic series, Humankind players will also be leading civilization across several major eras of human history. The OpenDev scenario is packed with four full eras and seven AI opponents, but the full game will include many more and will allow players to customize their own avatars.
Until then, players will be stuck with Lucy, but that's not such a bad thing. The trailer first introduced her by allowing audiences to peer through her imagination as she helps humanity navigate history with some very interesting and humorous results. Leading the Japanese against the British in the Indies is just one step on her strange journey. Aside from getting a sense of its tone, the trailer also includes a bit of gameplay so viewers can see the title in action.
The Humankind trailer was but a sliver of what was shown at the event earlier this week. There were a number of major announcements at The Game Awards 2020, including several world premieres. This included a new Perfect Dark, another Evil Dead title, and a spiritual successor to the Left 4 Dead franchise called Back 4 Blood. One of the biggest premieres was a trailer for the new Mass Effect that's currently in development. It was short, but the most exciting part is it hinted at its very strong ties to previous games in the series and to the legendary Commander Shepard.
Humankind is set to release in April 2021 for PC and Stadia.