MechWarrior Online, the free-to-play multiplayer first-person tactical battle simulation based on the science-fiction universe of Battletech, has thrown open its doors to the general public and since 27th October has been made available for open beta testing.
Piranha Games’ weapon-laden, giant robot mayhem of the 31st Century allows players to take part in sixteen-player team matches over fifteen-minute periods. The gameplay model is not dissimilar to the highly successful World of Tanks, with the attraction of quick access to battles coupled with the opportunity to advance and customise an assortment of BattleMechs from the rapid, lightly-armoured Jenner to the massive 100-ton Atlas. A total of seventeen different upgradeable and customisable BattleMechs are currently available across five classes of light, medium, heavy, assault and hero, each with a number of variants.
The combination of the highly-regarded BattleTech IP and solid game mechanics has seen development of MechWarrior Online go from strength to strength. During closed beta development, there was encouraging growth of a passionate player-base, leading to an unprecedented $5.2m of crowd-sourced funding from its Founders programme. In response to this community support, Piranha Games president Russ Bullock stated in a recent address to the MW:O community;
“That is a huge statement to just how amazing the MechWarrior franchise and its unique and exciting gameplay mechanics are, and now a whole new generation of gamers are about to learn that.”
