The Year of Battletech

If you read this blog often, you know that we’re huge fans of Battletech (in all of its many wonderful forms), and 2018 is looking like a banner year for the franchise. With new starter sets for the board game in the works, two new computer games slated for release, and a host of other developments on the horizon, it’s a great time to be a fan of giant stompy robots fighting over a Game of Thrones esque feudal system. Let’s talk a little bit about some of the developments and see what the future holds.

Battletech (Tabletop)

Gencon 2017 showed off a brand new look at starter sets for the Battletech Tabletop game. Building off of the successful release of the BattleMech Manual and the Technical Readout: Succession Wars book, Catalyst Game Labs is pressing on with a pair of new boxed sets to get new players into the game. With new versions of previously unseens battlemechs, these new sets are designed with the BattleMech Manual in mind, and are great for encouraging new players to get into things.




With new sets to get players into the game, i can hope that we also get additional releases for Alpha Strike, more historicals (the Succession Wars series is fantastic), and possibly we will see the timeline of the game roll forward again.

(Also, there’s a lot of cool other games from Catalyst that are rolling out, including more stuff for Shadowrun Crossfire, Dragonfire, and a host of others)

Battletech: The Game (Harebrained Schemes)

“Turn-based Battlech Combat Returns to the PC”

Our first digital offering, Battletech: the game brings the 3rd Succession War back to life with tactical, turn based combat. Explore the story mode, build your unit, and train up your Mechwarriors in an immersive campaign. This is the game that convinced me to upgrade my personal PC, and it’s the only thing i have backed on Kickstarter in my life so far.

From the wonderful folks at Harebrained Schemes, (the people who brought Shadowrun back to the PC a few years back), Battletech has been an amazing property to follow from the initial Kickstarter to frequent updates as the development cycle runs its course. With a release window in early-ish 2018, Battletech is going to make a huge splash in the market. Check out the PC Gamer Reviews, things from Polygon, and a host of other sources that say this one’s going to be massive.

Mechwarrior 5: Mercenaries (Piranha Games)

Built by the fine folks who built Mechwarrior Online, MW5: Mercs is also scheduled for release in 2018. Featuring the same “from the cockpit” perspective that has defined the Mechwarrior franchise since its inception, MW5 looks like an extremely vibrant take on giant robot combat.

With a single player campaign set during the 3rd Succession War, MW5 gives players their first taste of that game style in almost 15 years. This game uses a lot of the same elements as Mechwarrior Online, but is tailored for the single player experience. Check it out as we get closer to its release window in 2018.

Thoughts and Ideas going forward

I honestly think productivity is going to tank next year, with all the great computer offerings in the Battletech Universe. With the additional products being released for the Tabletop Game, it’s a great year to be a fan of Battletech. I hope the momentum rolls forward and we get even more cool stuff as the year goes on.

MW5 Mercenaries can be found here

Battletech: The Game can be found here

Battletech: A Game of Armored Combat can be found here