Fans of MechCommander, MechWarrior, tabletop BattleTech, and giant robots in general have something to look forward to. Developer Hairbrained Schemes, which recently released the third entry in its PC adaptation of Shadowrun, has announced that it will launch a Kickstarter for its upcoming game, simply titled BattleTech.
While few concrete details are available at this time, it is known that BattleTech will feature an open-ended campaign following a mercenary unit, likely originating from the Federated Suns faction. The game will also be set in the year 3025, after the Third Succession War — the period in the franchise’s timeline before more advanced technology is rediscovered, and before the militaristic Clans invade from beyond the periphery of known space in 3050.
3025 is a period in the timeline rich with mercenary activity and deniable operations, with a side of intrigue amongst the nobility, along with the recovery of lost, irreplaceable, and powerful technology. These features make it an ideal setting for the premise of putting players in charge of a private force.
Hairbrained Schemes has also said that the era hasn’t been properly explored in earlier video games, and that the company is looking forward to turning its storytelling experience from Shadowrun Returns to the machiavellian backdrop of the Inner Sphere, circa 3025.
Despite speculation from many gamers that it will be built on the Shadowrun Returns engine, BattleTech will be built on a new 3D engine, though the game will still be turn-based. If the concept art looks familiar, Hairbrained Schemes has also entered into an art asset licensing deal with Piranha Games, the developers of MechWarrior Online, in order to standardize the modern look of the BattleTech franchise.
FASA founder and co-creator of the original BattleTech, Jordan Weisman, is also involved with the project. While no official release target has been announced, it has been estimated in interviews that the game will come out in early 2017.
The Kickstarter project for the game will launch on September 29, at 10 AM PDT (5PM UTC). While no stretch goals have been officially confirmed, multiplayer modes and combat on Solaris VII (a world dedicated to gladiatorial games) have been hinted at in interviews.
This article originally appeared on TheMittani.com, written by Ryan Vincent.
