MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is a thing, and Piranha Games is making it. Today at MechCon, the developer announced that it’s currently working on MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, the first single-player MechWarrior title in 15 years.
They showcased the game in a live demonstration, detailing some of its customization and even a bit of first-person in-mech gameplay. This standalone title will feature an immersive, career-based Mercenary campaign driven by player choice.
Set in the year 3015, players will take on the role of a rookie Mercenary thrust into combat as the Third Succession War continues to fracture the Inner Sphere. Players will be able to earn prestige, profit, and presumably salvage enemy mechs for the maintenance and enhancement of their personal BattleMechs.
It’s set for release in 2018 and in development using the Unreal Engine 4, developed separately from MechWarrior Online, Piranha’s existing F2P multiplayer game built in CryEngine.
“Our main goal with MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is to provide fans with a standalone, story-driven single-player experience that allows for a great amount of flexibility in terms of player choice, built on a foundation of the intense, tactical ‘Mech combat the franchise is known for,” said Russ Bullock, president of Piranha Games. “Along with the release of MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries in 2018 we’re going to continue supporting our existing MechWarrior Online game and its fanbase with new updates and regular content releases. MWO is now in its fifth year of development and operation, and there’s still a lot of really cool stuff planned for it. For fans who have been waiting for the return of a true single-player MechWarrior game though, we are really happy to announce MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries.”
You can check out the trailer above and some screenshots below.