THQ's Homefront 2

*All the information included here is publicly available and can be found online.*

Before Homefront: The Revolution, there was Homefront 2.

## Development Timeline

* **June 2011**: The developers of the original Homefront, Kaos Studios, are closed by THQ. THQ says the franchise will be moved over to THQ Montreal.
* **September 2011**: THQ enters into an agreement with Crytek about the development of a Homefront sequel, for release in fiscal year 2014 (April 1, 2013 - March 31, 2013). It is revealed that Crytek UK will be developing the sequel .
* **December 2012**: THQ files for bankruptcy and its assets are auctioned off.
* **January 2013**: Crytek acquires the Homefront IP from THQ for $544.218.
* **July 2013**: Crytek and Koch Media enter into a co-publishing deal for Homefront 2.
* **June 2014**: The game is revealed at E3 2014 as Homefront: The Revolution. Following the acquisition of the IP from THQ, Crytek turned the game into an open-world direction. It is set to launch sometime in 2015.
* **July 2014**: Following reports that Crytek is not paying wages on time and many resignations, Koch Media acquires the Homefront IP from Crytek. Development would continue at the Koch Media's newly formed Deep Silver Dambuster Studios, which purchased Crytek UK's assets and acquired its employees due to British transfer law.
* **March 2015**: The game's release date was moved to 2016. Additionally, people are offered a chance to get their head scanned and become an NPC in the game.
* **January 2016**: It is revealed that the game will release on May 20 (May 17 for North America).
* **May 2016 - March 2017**: The game is released as planned. Dambuster Studios continues to support the game with patches, free co-op missions and three single-player expansions (*The Voice of Freedom,* *Aftermath*, *Beyond the Walls*).

## Leaked Builds

* HiddenPalace (2011-2013)
* Internet Archive (Dec. 2012)
* Internet Archive (Apr. 2012 incomplete)

## Title Summary

* Brand Approach (7 Nov. 2012)
* Concept and Positioning Report (18 Jun. 2012)
* VGMarket Survey Report (13 Jun. 2012)

## Technical Information

* Milestone Schedule (uses 5 documents)
* Technical Design Document (18 Sept. 2012)

The following pages make up the **Game Design Document** (GDD) from 7 December 2012.

Each page has one of three statuses:

* Red: To-do or requiring work / rework
* Yellow: Requires minor updates or adjustments
* Green: Signed-off and ready for implementation, or already implemented

Page status is mentioned at the top of each page.

## Singleplayer

### FPS Evolved

#### RPG Lite

*Grow and develop your character*

* RPG-Lite (5 Oct. 2012)

#### Exploration Drivers

*Go Deeper into the Fiction*

* Exploration Drivers (uses 2 documents)

#### AI Design

*Varied and Intelligent AI Threats - more than just whack-a-mole*

* AI Behaviors Overview (10 Sept. 2012)
* Enemy Class Specifications (8 Feb. 2012)

#### Core Gameplay Experience

##### Player Abilities

* Exotic Player Abilities (19 Oct. 2012)
* Player Abilities - Design Notes (6 Dec. 2012)
* Gas Mask (8 Feb. 2012)

##### Weapons

* Weapon System (18 Jan. 2012)
* Weapons and Vehicles (30 Aug. 2011)
* Weapon Idea List (27 Jan. 2012)
* Chemical Weapons (26 Jan. 2012)
* Resistance Weapon Customisation (27 Jan. 2012)
* Weapon Attachment Mechanic (23 Nov. 2011)

### Guerrilla Warfare

#### Scavenge, Improvise and Hack

* Guerrilla Warfare Overview (23 Nov. 2011)
* Guerrilla Sandbox Exploration (4 Apr. 2012)
* The Player's Guerrilla Toolkit (7 Sept. 2012)

#### Smartphone

##### Acquire Intel on Enemy Forces

* Smartphone Gameplay Mechanics (10 Oct. 2012)

### War Drama

*The documents in this section are from an older version of the GDD from 18 September 2012. Updated versions are not available. It should be noted mission order is different in some pages. The latest known mission order is written at the end of this section.*

#### Human Story

*Connect emotionally with characters*

* Horrors of War (uses 2 documents)
* World Fiction (30 Aug. 2011)

#### Moral Dilemmas and Consequences

##### Consequences

*Your Actions are Meaningful*

* Hope Bar & Moral Choice (29 Mar. 2012)

#### Game Script

##### Character Bios

* Jack Burnett (17 Aug. 2012)
* Lisa Moore (21 Aug. 2012)
* Mailman (17 Aug. 2012)
* Russo (28 Aug. 2012)
* Ben Walker (22 Aug. 2012)
* Harold Wong (17 Aug. 2012)
* Isabela Zabkova (17 Aug. 2012)
* Subin Kang (23 Aug. 2012)
* Chet Bishop (21 Aug. 2012)
* Sam Parrish (17 Aug. 2012)

#### Mission Designs

* 01 & 02 - Intro (uses 3 documents)
* 03 - Shipyard (uses 3 documents)
* 04 - Samaritan (uses 3 documents)
* 05 - Independence Hall (28 Aug. 2012)
* 06 - Fairmount (uses 3 documents)
* 07 - City Hall (uses 3 documents)
* 08 - Wetlands (uses 3 documents)
* 09 - Comms Dish (uses 2 documents)
* Atlantic City Part 1 (uses 2 documents)
* Atlantic City Part 2 (uses 2 documents)
* Wow Moments (16 Dec. 2011)
* Mission High Level Visions (4 Nov. 2011)

*By 7 December 2012, the mission order was:*

1. Intro (01 and 02)
2. Shipyard
3. Samaritan
4. Independence Hall
5. Fairmount
6. City Hall (Streets and Rooftop)
7. Wetlands
8. Comms Dish
9. Atlantic City

### Smart Sandbox Gameplay

#### Drone Design

*Drone Archetypes Provide Unique Challenges*

* Drone Overview (22 Feb. 2012)
* Drone Control (19 Jun. 2012)
* Breacher Drone Design (3 Feb. 2012)
* Firestorm Drone Design (3 Feb. 2012)
* Goliath Drone Design (3 Feb. 2012)
* Seeker Drone Design (3 Feb. 2012)
* Watcher Drone Design (3 Feb. 2012)
* Wolverine Drone Design (3 Feb. 2012)

### HUD and UI

#### HUD Design

* Infantry HUD Investigation (15 Nov. 2011)

## Multiplayer

### Core Experience

#### Battle Points

* MP Battle Point Investigation (1 Dec. 2011)

#### Class System

* MP Class Investigation (1 Dec. 2011)
* MP Classes (24 Aug. 2012)

#### Progression System

* Progression System Overview (24 Oct. 2012)

#### Personalisation

* Multiplayer Personalisation (9 Nov. 2012)

### Game Modes

#### Battle Commander

* Battle Commander Overview (28 Nov. 2011)

## Additional Information

### Kaos Studios

*The sequel has new features and doesn't even deal with the same characters. It takes place on the other side of the Mississippi -- nobody knows what's going on over there because the North Koreans have irradiated the Mississippi with radioactive iodine and nobody can cross it without a hazmat suit. It's very interesting stuff.*
—Danny Bilson, months before the release of Homefront
According to this article, Danny Bilson revealed this information without informing Kaos Studios.

* Homefront Post-Mortem Brand Review
* Homefront 2 Greenlight Presentation

### Koch Media

* HFTR Early GDD (18 Sept. 2013)
* HFTR Initial Milestone Schedule
* HFTR Amended Milestone Schedule

## References for Development Timeline

1. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20110616103606/http://www.develop-online.net/news/38018/THQ-to-axe-Homefront-studio-Kaos
2. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20220819115111/https://www.crytek.com/news/thq-and-crytek-collaborate-to-develop-next-homefront-title
3. ↑ THQ fiscal years end on March 31st (source).
4. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20131012023111/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/09/20/homefront-2-developed-by-crytek/
5. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20210517173832/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-thq-sale-idUSBRE8BI1CJ20121219
6. ↑ https://web.archive.org/https://www.polygon.com/2013/1/23/3908546/crytek-500k-homefront-franchise-thq-bankruptcy-auction
7. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20140611233850/http://www.polygon.com/a/e3-2014/homefront-the-revolution
8. ↑ https://web.archive.org/https://kotaku.com/sources-crytek-still-facing-issues-as-homefront-direct-1603582673
9. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20231010234059/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/koch-media-acquires-homefront-ip
10. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20150313064200/http://www.polygon.com/2015/3/12/8200079/homefront-the-revolution-delay-2016-deep-silver-dambuster
11. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20150507190523/http://www.dsdambuster.com/headscan/
12. ↑ https://web.archive.org/https://www.ign.com/articles/2016/01/12/homefront-the-revolution-release-date-beta-details-revealed