<s>
BattleTech	B-Application
is	O
a	O
Mecha	O
turn-based	O
strategy	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Harebrained	O
Schemes	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Paradox	O
Interactive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
macOS	B-Application
and	O
Windows	O
on	O
April	O
24	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
Linux	B-Application
release	O
on	O
November	O
27	O
,	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
world	O
of	O
BattleTech	B-Application
is	O
dominated	O
by	O
powerful	O
noble	O
houses	O
locked	O
in	O
a	O
devastating	O
war	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
player	O
selects	O
one	O
or	O
more	O
houses	O
to	O
serve	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
shares	O
a	O
setting	O
with	O
the	O
board	O
game	O
that	O
launched	O
the	O
BattleTech	B-Application
franchise	O
,	O
Classic	O
BattleTech	B-Application
,	O
and	O
many	O
members	O
of	O
the	O
development	O
team	O
have	O
worked	O
on	O
previous	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
franchise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
includes	O
both	O
of	O
the	O
studio	O
's	O
co-founders	O
;	O
Jordan	O
Weisman	O
created	O
the	O
franchise	O
while	O
at	O
FASA	O
,	O
and	O
Mitch	O
Gitelman	O
was	O
the	O
producer	O
for	O
MechCommander	B-Application
and	O
MechAssault	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
BattleTech	B-Application
is	O
a	O
turn-based	O
strategy	O
video	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
choosing	O
hardware	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
can	O
also	O
specialize	O
the	O
mech	O
's	O
pilots	O
(	O
called	O
"	O
mechwarriors	B-Device
"	O
)	O
by	O
selecting	O
talents	O
from	O
a	O
skill	O
tree	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BattleTech	B-Application
shares	O
a	O
setting	O
with	O
the	O
original	O
board	O
game	O
,	O
now	O
called	O
Classic	O
BattleTech	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
takes	O
place	O
during	O
the	O
3025	O
Succession	O
Wars	O
Era	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
powerful	O
noble	O
houses	O
employ	O
an	O
ever-shrinking	O
number	O
of	O
giant	O
fighting	O
vehicles	O
called	O
battlemechs	O
( 	O
 '	O
mechs	O
for	O
short	O
)	O
,	O
piloted	O
by	O
individuals	O
called	O
MechWarriors	B-Device
,	O
to	O
fight	O
for	O
control	O
of	O
the	O
Inner	O
Sphere	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Aurigan	O
Reach	O
was	O
created	O
by	O
the	O
Harebrained	O
Schemes	O
design	O
team	O
led	O
by	O
Kiva	O
Maginn	O
as	O
a	O
space	O
where	O
players	O
could	O
move	O
through	O
an	O
original	O
story	O
line	O
without	O
infringing	O
on	O
the	O
already	O
set	O
lore	O
of	O
Third	O
Succession	O
Wars	O
BattleTech	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
Our	O
first	O
priority	O
was	O
to	O
find	O
a	O
way	O
to	O
coexist	O
with	O
BattleTech	B-Application
lore	O
...	O
We	O
needed	O
somewhere	O
interesting	O
,	O
close	O
but	O
not	O
too	O
close	O
,	O
and	O
basically	O
empty	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BattleTech	B-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Harebrained	O
Schemes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
studio	O
is	O
led	O
by	O
Jordan	O
Weisman	O
,	O
who	O
created	O
the	O
BattleTech	B-Application
franchise	O
while	O
working	O
at	O
board	O
game	O
and	O
wargaming	O
publisher	O
FASA	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
members	O
of	O
the	O
development	O
team	O
worked	O
on	O
another	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
franchise	O
,	O
MechCommander	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Along	O
with	O
Weisman	O
,	O
the	O
development	O
team	O
will	O
be	O
led	O
by	O
Mitch	O
Gitelman	O
,	O
the	O
producer	O
for	O
MechCommander	B-Application
and	O
MechAssault	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Mike	O
McCain	O
,	O
who	O
served	O
as	O
creative	O
director	O
for	O
Harebrained	O
Scheme	O
's	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
Shadowrun	B-Application
franchise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Harebrained	O
Schemes	O
is	O
working	O
with	O
Catalyst	O
Game	O
Labs	O
and	O
Piranha	O
Games	O
,	O
who	O
also	O
publish	O
BattleTech	B-Application
works	O
,	O
to	O
maintain	O
continuity	O
across	O
the	O
franchise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
includes	O
using	O
art	O
from	O
Piranha	O
Games	O
 '	O
MechWarrior	B-Device
Online	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Studio	O
co-founders	O
Weisman	O
and	O
Gitelman	O
implied	O
in	O
a	O
May	O
2015	O
interview	O
that	O
they	O
might	O
soon	O
be	O
announcing	O
a	O
game	O
based	O
on	O
an	O
intellectual	O
property	O
that	O
they	O
had	O
previously	O
created	O
,	O
with	O
Game	O
Informer	O
speculating	O
that	O
they	O
meant	O
either	O
BattleTech	B-Application
or	O
Crimson	B-Application
Skies	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
BattleTech	B-Application
was	O
revealed	O
in	O
July	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Harebrained	O
Schemes	O
planned	O
to	O
release	O
the	O
game	O
in	O
early	O
2017	O
for	O
Linux	B-Application
,	O
macOS	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Windows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Weisman	O
,	O
fans	O
of	O
the	O
franchise	O
had	O
been	O
asking	O
for	O
a	O
new	O
BattleTech	B-Application
game	O
for	O
years	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
only	O
thing	O
holding	O
his	O
team	O
back	O
was	O
that	O
they	O
did	O
not	O
own	O
the	O
rights	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
held	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Weisman	O
was	O
not	O
interested	O
in	O
developing	O
a	O
spiritual	O
successor	O
,	O
stating	O
in	O
an	O
interview	O
that	O
the	O
fantasy	O
mech	O
game	O
Golem	B-Application
Arcana	I-Application
was	O
as	O
close	O
as	O
he	O
was	O
willing	O
to	O
get	O
towards	O
creating	O
a	O
BattleTech	B-Application
game	O
without	O
the	O
license	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
studio	O
wanted	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
feel	O
realistic	O
and	O
believable	O
,	O
with	O
Gitelman	O
explaining	O
"	O
We	O
're	O
grounding	O
BattleTech	B-Application
,	O
so	O
it	O
does	O
n't	O
just	O
feel	O
like	O
this	O
goofy	O
sci-fi	O
future	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jon	O
Everist	O
won	O
several	O
awards	O
for	O
the	O
score	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
nominated	O
for	O
"	O
Best	O
Video	O
Game	O
Score	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
"	O
at	O
the	O
34th	O
Annual	O
ASCAP	O
Screen	O
Music	O
Awards	O
along	O
with	O
God	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
,	O
Destiny	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
Torn	B-Application
and	O
Celeste	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Paradox	O
Interactive	O
and	O
Harebrained	O
Schemes	O
have	O
announced	O
three	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
expansions	O
for	O
BattleTech	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
DLC	B-Protocol
,	O
Flashpoint	O
,	O
features	O
self-contained	O
,	O
procedurally-generated	O
missions	O
which	O
do	O
not	O
affect	O
or	O
influence	O
the	O
main	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
DLC	B-Protocol
also	O
includes	O
new	O
mechs	O
,	O
a	O
new	O
biome	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
new	O
multiplayer	O
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
second	O
DLC	B-Protocol
,	O
Urban	O
Warfare	O
,	O
adds	O
three	O
new	O
vehicles	O
,	O
new	O
equipment	O
,	O
two	O
new	O
battlemechs	O
and	O
ten	O
new	O
Flashpoint	O
missions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
focus	O
of	O
the	O
DLC	B-Protocol
is	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
urban	O
environments	O
with	O
destructible	O
buildings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
third	O
DLC	B-Protocol
,	O
Heavy	O
Metal	O
,	O
adds	O
eight	O
new	O
weapon	O
systems	O
,	O
eight	O
new	O
battlemechs	O
(	O
including	O
a	O
design	O
created	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
Flashpoint	O
mission	O
which	O
sets	O
the	O
player	O
against	O
two	O
characters	O
from	O
Wolf	O
's	O
Dragoons	O
mercenary	O
company	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
DLC	B-Protocol
was	O
released	O
on	O
November	O
21	O
,	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
