No, it’s not 1996. But wouldn’t it be nice to pretend?
While everyone was preoccupied with the giant dose of nostalgia coming out of the PlayStation Experience event, there was another convention going on: Mech_Con 2016. Now while people might be familiar with the BATTLETECH single-player game being made by the creator of MechWarrior, it’s not actually a new MechWarrior game.
MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, however, very much is.
There’s not a great deal to the footage, even though it carries on for a while. The good news is in the detail. Piranha Games, which also has a live team working on MechWarrior Online, are concentrating on a single-player campaign for MechWarrior 5.
It’s not due for release until 2018, which is nice considering the last time MechWarrior 5 was teased it ended up running into legal trouble. The MechWarrior trailer, which you can still watch on YouTube, resulted in Harmony Gold sending IGN a cease and desist letter over “the use of certain trademarked figures from the Robotech/Macross universe”.
The co-founder of Piranha Games, Bryan Ekman, tweeted a couple of years later that there was “no legal battle” and that “Harmony Gold has nothing to do with any delays” to MechWarrior 5. That same year, Piranha Games acquired the rights to the MechWarrior series and MechWarrior Online was officially released in 2013.
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30 responses to “Good Morning, There’s A New Mechwarrior Game”
Now if only someone could do a new MechCommander game….
Check out Battletech by Hairbrained Schemes. Kickstarter was earlier this year.
Looks awesome, but wasn’t MechWarrior 4 also subtitled “Mercenaries”?
The second was too!
Slight correction, the standalone expansion to part 2, Mechwarrior 2: 31st Century Combat, was called “Mechwarrior 2: Mercenaries”.
Either way MOAR MECHWARRIOR!!!!!!!
Still the best.
The Mechwarrior franchise has a habit of making mercenary themed expansions. Mechwarrior 2 was subtitled “31st Century Combat”and had 2 expansions “Ghost Bear’s Legacy” and “Mercenaries”. Mechwarrior 4 was likewise subtitled “Vengeance” with expansions named “Black Knight”and “Mercenaries”.
And Mechwarrior 1, 4’s Black Knight expansion, Mechcommander 2, and both the Mechassault games have you playing as a mercenary.
I absolutely love mech games, and the Mechwarrior: Mercenaries series in particular. Don’t fuck it up this time, Piranha.
Haven’t played one since Mechwarrior 2. Would be keen to jump in to a new one though!
MechWarrior Online is a pretty good time, and by the same company.
Oh yes.
Just don’t fuck this up, Piranha.
I’ll care if it comes to PS4. Please come to PS4.
I certainly hope not, unless you’re meant to use a keyboard and mouse.
Sorry, I just don’t want Mechwarrior to be held back by a console in anyway shape or form, I’m sure you understand.
No, I don’t understand. Or I understand you’re being selfish.
Consoles have not had a Mechwarrior since M2: 31cC on Playstation 1. PC gamers have had every Mechwarrior game since, including Mechwarrior Online.
If something as ridiculous as Elite Dangerous can make it to the console, then Mechwarrior certainly can. The PS4 even currently has a HOTAS that can only be used on War Thunder, ffs.
Not every port has to turn out like Invisible War. I’m a former PC gamer and there have been some very good ports of games that are mechanically for PCs but been adapted to console.
Edit: if thats what you meant by meant to play on keyboard Im fine with that, if a PS4 version is the secondary version with a stunted release date well after the pc version is finalised. I obv want all versions to be good.
‘Consolification’ has traditionally more often than not led to a number of really awful design compromises, though.
I don’t blame anyone for being twice shy, because it’s sure as hell been a fuckload more than once bitten.
I remember there was already a trailer released several years ago for another Mechwarrior 5, also singleplayer and to be set in 3015. But that never happened and it eventually turned into Mechwarrior Online.
Given the legal difficulties of the past, it’s interesting that PB would include the Shadow Hawk in the video. It was originally a rip-off from Dougram and has been little seen in the games because of it.
I suppose this particular Shadow Hawk doesn’t look much like the Dougram one from the original Battletech game (I thought the one in the video was a Hunchback till they said otherwise), so maybe that’s how they’re getting around the problem?
If there really were problems with Harmony Gold, I wonder if there’ll be Warhammers, Phoenix Hawks, Wasps, or, really, a whole bunch of the designs Battletech borrowed.
Pirahna has released redesigns for a lot of the unseen mechs, off the top of my head, the Marauder, the Warhammer, the Rifleman and the Battlemaster.
Those names are ringing so many nostalgia bells its just not funny <3
Also, Harmony Gold tried taking them to court over that and was rejected by the judge.
I’d imagine that set some precedent that gave them a bit of legal cover over their designs.
MWO and the new Battletech game seem to be sharing assets, which is excellent because the Mech designs from MWO may well be the best thing about it.
Make it VR!! Please make it VR. I’ve wanted that since mechwarrior 2
Even low res VR in MW2 style would be enough for me!
I was watching Mechcon when the announcement came through and at first I was thinking: “Is this just some new lame mechbay simulator for MWO?”…. but then I started to notice that it was being rendered in a different engine… and then Russ gets into the Mech cockpit itself.. a different HUD shows up and then I thought: “No way! So this is what they’ve been hiding all this time!”
Am keen, it look awesome, it was a great trailer. Everything from the Shadow Hawks legs thudding along the ground and the cockpit shaking to the Overlord dropships landing was perfect. UE4 is the right choice.
Like I said on Reddit, In the Starcraft marines voice: “HELL IT’S ABOUT TIME!”
I am so… so… so… happy about this.
I’m probably going to end up buying a new computer just for this.
I hope they include a cheesy FMV intro, wingman commands and maybe the ability to hire and utilise combined arms like tanks and aerofighters.
The only thing that’s making me wary is that Piranha Games are attached.
That and that there’s a Raven in a game set in 3015.
I read somewhere that the campaign goes from 3015 to 3050, so lots of time for things like the Raven to be introduced. Would also explain the confusion over the Raven there too.
Edit: It was in the PCGamer interview.
There’s an interview?
I read their initial piece, and it just seemed to be a “we don’t know more than that it’s been announced… here’s the video”. I’ll have to go looking.
Thanks.
I would like co-op campaign, where my friends and I take each mission together and share the spoils. If they made this happen, I wouldn’t touch any other game for at least a year.
God yes – co-op MW would be awesome and a massive 90’s flashback. MW2 is still one of my favourite games, so many hours spent on that and the expansions 🙂
Being an Unreal Engine 4 game I’d love it if the developers hit the Linux build button, would love to have an awesome Mech game 🙂