This year’s MechCon held a major surprise for fans of the franchise, as MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries was officially announced alongside a seven-minute trailer. This is the first major installment in the franchise in 16 years.
The trailer’s first scene is in a hangar, where you see a BattleMech unit starting up. After exiting the hangar in the gigantic robotic unit, you’re ordered to investigate an outpost. However, a surprise attack by an enemy BattleMech disrupts the mission. The enemy is easily destroyed, but it turns out to be one of the first units in an invasion by a larger force, as evidenced by the massive dropships in the sky. As one of the dropships prepares to land, you’re offered a contract (you’re a mercenary pilot, obviously) to fight the unknown invaders. What happens next? Well, you’ll have to wait until 2018 to find out.
Set 150 years into the Third Succession War, MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is a single-player, first-person title. According to the game’s website, it seems that your choices throughout the campaign will dictate the storyline. With each mission, you’ll gain fame, but more importantly, money. You can use your hard-earned cash to acquire more Battlemechs or upgrade and repair your current unit.
Piranha Games, based in Vancouver, Canada, will be in charge of development. The studio was also behind the release of MechWarrior Online in 2013, and part of the development team will still work on the online game in conjunction with MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries.
