Following the announcement of the publishing partnership with Paradox Interactive, Harebrained Schemes announced that its turn-based strategy game BattleTech will get a multiplayer beta on June 1st.

The beta is reserved to backers, but not all backers will get access. Only those who pledged $50 or more will be able to test the game in advance.

We also get a FAQ about the publishing partnership with Paradox, providing more color on what's what.

Is this the real reason the Backer Beta was delayed?

Absolutely not. Our new relationship with Paradox had nothing to do with the delay of our Backer Beta. See the explanation in Kickstarter Update #36 for details.

Does Paradox have control over the design of the game?

Nope. HBS has complete creative control of the game. Paradox has lots of BattleTech fans who have opinions (just like our Backers) but HBS is not obligated to take their feedback. That said, the company has lots of experience with strategy games and we’d be dumb not to listen.

Who is responsible for testing the game now?

Harebrained Schemes controls the testing of the game. Paradox is funding it.

Who will handle customer support for BATTLETECH?

For our Backer Beta and service to our Backers, it’s Harebrained Schemes all the way.

Once the game launches, Paradox will handle customer support. They have a full team of experienced support staff and a history of quality customer support. They will (of course) team up with our development team for investigation and vetting of technical issues.

What happens to our personal information from the Kickstarter? Does Paradox get it now?

Definitely not. We take your privacy very seriously and will not be sharing any information gathered via Kickstarter with Paradox or anyone else.

Will the game still release on Steam, GOG, and Humble?

You bet. BATTLETECH will release on Steam, GoG, and Humble on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Nothing has changed there and, as we mentioned in an earlier update, we're looking at a late Summer/Fall release.

 

Will I still be able to download a DRM-Free version of the game?

Yes. A DRM-Free version will be available on GOG.

You mentioned expansions. What's the plan for post-launch content and DLC?

In success we hope to release full-fledged expansions to the game and intend to focus on that over small pieces of DLC.

What about sequels? Does Paradox have a say in those?

We have no agreement with Paradox to release sequels to the game at this time. If our relationship goes well, we’ll consider it in the future.

On top of the announcements, we get a whopping hour of spiffy multiplayer gameplay from the pre-beta version of the game.

You can check it out below, and if you want to see more, you can watch the first gameplay trailer.

BattleTech will be released for PC this year. For the sake of full disclosure, the author of this article is a backer of the game.