MechWarrior made a comeback in 2019 after a 17-year hiatus, launching 5: Mercenaries to a decent score of 73 on Metacritic. But developer PGI isn't done yet, as president Russ Bullock has confirmed that a new game is in underway.
"There is another MechWarrior in development at Piranha," Bullock said on a podcast with NoGutsNoGalaxy. "It's not a successor to MechWarrior Online... Think of it as more in-line with MechWarrior 5, but a standalone game. That's all I'll say for now. It'll be announced later, somewhere in 2023."
In the 17-year hiatus between MechWarrior 4 and 5, there were two games launched - Online (an MMO) and Tactical Command (a mobile spin-off). 5 was praised for being a return to form that continued the mainline numbered games that started in the '80s, but PGI went onto support another MMO after its launch, The Lord of the Rings Online, sparking concerns about the series' future.
While MechWarrior 6's official announcement has yet to happen, Bullock's confirmation (at 35:50) does confirm that it's in development. This lines up with the contract PGI has with Microsoft, which will allow it to use the MechWarrior license until at least 2025.
It's a big year for mech games. Not only is MechWarrior continuing with another sequel, but FromSoftware is diverting from the Soulsborne formula after over a decade to bring back its own mech series, Armored Core. Funnily enough, the newly announced entry is also the sixth installment. That launches in 2023, but when MechWarrior 6 will arrive can only be speculated on.
If you haven't played MechWarrior before, you're put in the cockpit of a giant suit of futuristic armour and sent on missions to blow a bunch of enemies up in an all-out war, while monitoring the health of each component of your suit. Imagine a beefed up set of Fallout 4's power armour.
As for its world, it's set in BattleTech's universe, with the last game taking place during the Third Succession War. If you're itching to try a modern mech shooter before Armored Core, 5 is up for grabs on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.