BattleTech Update #46 – Multiplayer Backer Beta is Live

The latest Kickstarter update for Harebrained Schemes’ BattleTech brings great news for their Mechwarrior-level backers and above – the long-awaited multiplayer backer beta is now live. Together with the Skirmish Beta, the Multiplayer Beta will be open through the end of the year, so you have about a month to hone your PvP skills in preparation for the game’s official launch.

Some additional details:

After weeks of gathering data from our Double-Secret Multiplayer Beta and more weeks of revising our network architecture to allow the Global BattleTech Community to easily play together, we are happy (and relieved) to announce that the Official Multiplayer Backer Beta Is LIVE on Steam. We hope you enjoy your multiplayer matches as much as we enjoy ours.

If you are at the MECHWARRIOR Backer level or above and have already downloaded the game, Steam will automatically update the Beta to include the multiplayer mode. No password is needed and no action is required to start playing against others right away.

We’d like to extend a HUGE THANK YOU to the brave Double-Secret Multiplayer Beta testers who provided invaluable data and feedback during this early testing period. Your support has benefitted your fellow Backers, our community, and all the folks who are about to find out how cool the BattleTech universe is.

This final beta release is intended to test our multiplayer code with a larger sample of players around the world. You won’t find any new combat features, very many balance changes (beyond those we’ve already done), or additional content in the update, much as we would love it. It was simply too much for our small team to keep the Beta and Production versions of the game in synch for months – or to attempt to update the Beta now after months of adding new code and content.

The Skirmish & Multiplayer Backer Beta will remain open through the end of the year. After that, the Beta will be shut down in preparation for the upcoming launch of the full game. Folks can still purchase Beta Access (and Backers can still upgrade their reward level) until Friday, December 1st.

If you’re looking for a match, head over to the Beta matchmaking sub-forum to find other MechCommanders ready for some Heavy Metal Mayhem! And if you’re eligible for the beta and haven’t downloaded it yet, this is your last call – head over to the Backer Beta PDF Manual to get instructions for getting your Steam Key from your BackerKit account, downloading the game, and how to play the game.

Have fun! Melt cockpits!

–HBS