On May 12, Harebrained Schemes and Paradox Interactive announced that they will be teaming up to bring Battletech to the PC. The initial word came in an email sent out to backers of HBS’ previously-reported Battletech Kickstarter, and was confirmed by Paradox in a subsequent press release (reproduced below),
Battletech: A 31st Century Game of Armored Combat
Battletech is a turn-based strategy combat game, and the seminal work of the ‘giant stompy robot fighting game’ genre, where players take control of armies of BattleMechs, 20-100 ton walking engines of destruction. The franchise is set in the 31st Century, where humanity has expanded to the stars, only to bring warfare and infighting with them. Great Houses and warrior Clans vie for control of vast territories, using armies of ‘mechs and hyperspace-capable Jumpships.
Originally published in 1984 by FASA Corp, Battletech has grown from a table-top strategy game to include classic PC titles like 1990’s The Cresent Hawks’ Revenge. The game also boasts two highly-regarded spin-off series: MechWarrior (including MechWarrior Online), and MechCommander. Battletech has also seen publication on consoles with the MechAssault series on both Xbox and the Nintendo DS.
About The Companies
Founded in 2011, Harebrained Schemes is the company behind the Shadowrun Returns series of games. HBS co-founder Jordan Weisman is the creator of the Battletech/MechWarrior franchise. He and co-founder Mitch Gitelman are both alums of FASA Corp, and have previously worked together on MechCommander and the Crimson Skies franchise.
Paradox Interactive are the makers of the highly successful Crusader Kings and Europa Universalis franchises, and a leader in the large-scale strategy game genre on the PC. Paradox is also the company behind the recently re-founded White Wolf Publishing. With this new partnership, Paradox now has close ties with the creative minds behind ongoing projects in the World of Darkness, Battletech/MechWarrior, and Shadowrun franchises, three of the most successful tabletop settings of the 1990s.
Straight from Paradox
STOCKHOLM – May 12, 2017 – Paradox Interactive today announced a partnership with Harebrained Schemes, the studio behind the Shadowrun Returns series, to publish BATTLETECH, the first turn-based tactical ‘Mech PC game in over 20 years. Set in the MechWarrior universe, the game is being led by Jordan Weisman, creator of BattleTech and MechWarrior, Mitch Gitelman, Producer of the MechCommander series, and Mike McCain, Creative Director of the Shadowrun series. BATTLETECH was successfully Kickstarted in November 2016, and now Paradox is providing a full loadout of publishing support in BATTLETECH’s march to launch.
MechWarriors and Mercenaries alike can see the first trailer for BATTLETECH here:
“We couldn’t miss the chance to work with Harebrained Schemes given how big of fans we are of their work on the Shadowrun Returns series. The opportunity to reintroduce our strategy-minded players to the tactical roots of the BattleTech universe makes this partnership even sweeter,” said Johan Sjöberg, Chief Product Officer of Paradox Interactive. “We are as excited about BATTLETECH as the early backers are, and we can’t wait to do our part to bring the game to market.”
“We at HBS have enormous respect for the long history of quality strategy games that Paradox has published and we are proud to have BATTLETECH become part of that history,” said Jordan Weisman, CEO of Harebrained Schemes. “We are confident in our ability to create a game worthy of the MechWarrior franchise’s legacy and are really excited to have Paradox’s expertise as a publisher to help us present BATTLETECH to the widest possible audience.”
Thanks to the generous support of the Kickstarter community, BATTLETECH will be the first turn-based tactical BattleTech game on PC in more than 20 years. Set in the year 3025, the universe is trapped in a cycle of perpetual war, fought by militarized noble houses utilizing huge, mechanized combat vehicles called BattleMechs. Players will take command of their own Mercenary outfit, struggling to stay afloat as they find themselves drawn into a bloody interstellar civil war. BATTLETECH features explosive tactical `Mech combat, deep Mercenary management gameplay, a rewarding story campaign, and addictive PvP multiplayer. The game is scheduled to launch in 2017.
Harebrained Schemes was cofounded in 2011 by Jordan Weisman and Mitch Gitelman, and received widespread critical acclaim for Shadowrun Returns, their recreation of classic cyberpunk RPG, Shadowrun. Paradox Interactive was founded in 1999, and is known for its development of grand strategy titles such as Europa Universalis, Crusader Kings, and Hearts of Iron. As a publishing partner, Paradox most notably worked with Obsidian for the launches of Pillars of Eternity, Pillars of Eternity’s DLC content, and Tyranny.
