MechWarrior (reboot)
Encyclopedia
MechWarrior Online is an upcoming free to play, action simulation game under development by Piranha Games
for the Microsoft Windows
platform. Development of the game is being led by Russ Bullock, president of Piranha Games, and is part of a licensing agreement with Smith & Tinker
for the rights to create MechWarrior for the Microsoft Windows
and Microsoft Xbox 360 platforms.
, founder of Smith & Tinker and previously founder of the disbanded FASA Corporation
which worked on the MechWarrior
series, negotiated the license back from Microsoft
after the software giant left the property idle for years, since their last foray with the MechAssault
series. Russ Bullock from Piranha Games was a long time fan of the series and wanted to start a joint collaboration with Weisman. He contacted Weisman to develop a prototype project that eventually became the new iteration in the MechWarrior series. Production of the new MechWarrior game first began on October 2008, where the two studios started discussing the project on pen and paper. After coming up with a presentation for a prototype scenario, both studios began ramping up a full-time team to work on the new game in March 2009.
In October 2011 a Twitter
campaign was launched as the start of the advertising campaign
.
was issued a cease and desist order by Harmony Gold USA
(owners of the Robotech
franchise), citing copyright infringement. In 1996, FASA
(the former owners of the BattleTech
franchise) were involved in a legal case over the use of mecha designs derived from the Macross
series, and decided to discontinue using images of mecha that were developed outside of FASA. These 'Mechs were then referred to by fans as the Unseen. The trailer for MechWarrior featured the Warhammer, one of the Unseen, which is designed similarly to the Destroid Tomahawk from the Macross and Robotech Series. The Warhammer, as well as several other 'Mechs, such as the Marauder and Archer, were an important part of the early BattleTech universe and image, but were based on images from Macross and other mecha anime series, which FASA had licensed from the original Japanese creators, but Harmony Gold claimed the images as their own property inside the US. The matter is further complicated by Harmony Gold's own legal troubles surrounding the ownership of the original rights. It is currently unknown if the Unseen will be used in the final game or not. In June 2011, Bryan Ekman, from Piranha Games, tweeted
that there was, in fact, no dispute with Harmony Gold, and that they were not responsible for the game's delays.
Piranha Games
Piranha Games Inc. is a Canadian computer game developer based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company was founded by two members Russ Bullock President and Executive Producer and Bryan Ekman, VP and Creative Director...
for the Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
platform. Development of the game is being led by Russ Bullock, president of Piranha Games, and is part of a licensing agreement with Smith & Tinker
Smith & Tinker
Smith & Tinker is an American electronic entertainment company founded in February 2007 by Jordan Weisman, Jeremy Bornstein, Lenny Raymond, and Kev Ray. Weisman later brought in Tim Lebel and Joe Lawandus...
for the rights to create MechWarrior for the Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
and Microsoft Xbox 360 platforms.
Development
Jordan WeismanJordan Weisman
Jordan Weisman is an American game designer, author, and serial entrepreneur who has founded four major game design companies, each in a different game genre and segment of the industry.-Biography:...
, founder of Smith & Tinker and previously founder of the disbanded FASA Corporation
FASA
FASA Corporation was an American publisher of role-playing games, wargames and board games between 1980 and 2001. Originally the name FASA was an acronym for "Freedonian Aeronautics and Space Administration", a joking allusion to the Marx Brothers film Duck Soup. This tongue-in-cheek attitude was...
which worked on the MechWarrior
MechWarrior
MechWarrior is the title of a series of computer and video games set in the fictional universe of BattleTech-Games:In these games, players take control of a single BattleMech and combat other BattleMechs, tanks, infantry, and more, from within the cockpit of their machine. A third-person alternate...
series, negotiated the license back from Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
after the software giant left the property idle for years, since their last foray with the MechAssault
MechAssault
MechAssault was the first BattleMech video game published for the Xbox. Developed by Day 1 Studios and published by Microsoft, MechAssault was initiated when Denny Thorley of Day 1 Studios approached Jon Kimmich of Microsoft about developing an original BattleTech game built from the ground up to...
series. Russ Bullock from Piranha Games was a long time fan of the series and wanted to start a joint collaboration with Weisman. He contacted Weisman to develop a prototype project that eventually became the new iteration in the MechWarrior series. Production of the new MechWarrior game first began on October 2008, where the two studios started discussing the project on pen and paper. After coming up with a presentation for a prototype scenario, both studios began ramping up a full-time team to work on the new game in March 2009.
In October 2011 a Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
campaign was launched as the start of the advertising campaign
Advertising campaign
An advertising campaign is a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme which make up an integrated marketing communication...
.
Legal troubles
On September 3, 2009, shortly after posting preview videos and images of the game, IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
was issued a cease and desist order by Harmony Gold USA
Harmony Gold USA
Harmony Gold is a television production and distribution company established in 1983. It is best known as the “creator” and main distributor of the anime series Robotech. It also partially dubbed the Dragon Ball series in the late 1980s....
(owners of the Robotech
Robotech
Robotech is an 85-episode science fiction anime adaptation produced by Harmony Gold USA in association with Tatsunoko Production Co., Ltd. and first released in the United States in 1985...
franchise), citing copyright infringement. In 1996, FASA
FASA
FASA Corporation was an American publisher of role-playing games, wargames and board games between 1980 and 2001. Originally the name FASA was an acronym for "Freedonian Aeronautics and Space Administration", a joking allusion to the Marx Brothers film Duck Soup. This tongue-in-cheek attitude was...
(the former owners of the BattleTech
BattleTech
BattleTech is a wargaming and science fiction franchise launched by FASA Corporation in 1984, acquired by WizKids in 2000, and owned since 2003 by Topps. The series began with FASA's debut of the board game BattleTech by Jordan Weisman and L...
franchise) were involved in a legal case over the use of mecha designs derived from the Macross
Macross
is a series of science fiction mecha anime, directed by Shōji Kawamori of Studio Nue in 1982. The franchise features a fictional history of Earth/Humanity after the year 1999. It consists of three TV series, four movies, six OVAs, one light novel and five manga series, all sponsored by Big West...
series, and decided to discontinue using images of mecha that were developed outside of FASA. These 'Mechs were then referred to by fans as the Unseen. The trailer for MechWarrior featured the Warhammer, one of the Unseen, which is designed similarly to the Destroid Tomahawk from the Macross and Robotech Series. The Warhammer, as well as several other 'Mechs, such as the Marauder and Archer, were an important part of the early BattleTech universe and image, but were based on images from Macross and other mecha anime series, which FASA had licensed from the original Japanese creators, but Harmony Gold claimed the images as their own property inside the US. The matter is further complicated by Harmony Gold's own legal troubles surrounding the ownership of the original rights. It is currently unknown if the Unseen will be used in the final game or not. In June 2011, Bryan Ekman, from Piranha Games, tweeted
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
that there was, in fact, no dispute with Harmony Gold, and that they were not responsible for the game's delays.