A new turn-based BattleTech game is in development

It will be set during the 3025 Succession Wars, the classic BattleTech setting. With those “stretch goals” (AKA, the holy guts of what you’d want from this game) in mind, Harebrained Scheme’s initial goal and self-backing looks like a sly way to call the Kickstarter a success no matter what happens.

The developer is seeking funding in three stages, with two more parts left in stage one yet to be funded.

But here’s the good news: it’s bringing the BattleTech universe back to life.

Described as a modern single-player, turn-based, tactical mech combat game for PC, Battletech will only feature a skirmish mode unless the Kickstarter reaches US$1m, at which time a single player campaign will be added. “That’s right up our alley”. It is also a shared universe that has evolved over 30 years, in tabletop miniatures games and sourcebooks, along with a series of over two hundred novels, comics, and dozens of computer games. “We’ll be building an all-new codebase in Unity 5 to deliver a ‘Mech command experience that can fully do justice to the awesome scale and depth of the BattleTech Universe”, Harebrained writes. They say that MechWarrior Online creators Piranha Games are sharing their game’s roster of BattleMech models. And yes, it’s a Kickstarter campaign.

The team at Harebrained is careful to point out that BattleTech will be very different from Shadowrun Returns. Founded in 2011, the Seattle-based studio is centered on deep collaboration between seasoned veterans and fresh talent who share a passion for crafting game worlds and delighting their audience. Shadowrun: Dragonfall – Director’s Cut and Shadowrun: Hong Kong composer Jon Everist will also be returning to score Battletech.