MechWarrior Online to be powered by CryEngine 3

Piranha Games didn’t provide very many details for MechWarrior Online when it was announced last month. In fact, just about the only thing we learned about it was that it existed, it’s probably coming out next year, it features multiple multiplayer modes and upgrade paths, and it will be free-to-play.

We may not know very much about the game itself, but now we can at least learn what engine will be running on. Crytek sent over word today that MechWarrior Online will be running on CryEngine 3, which you’ll likely recognize as the engine behind Crysis 2.

“[CryEngine 3] is definitely the best choice for us: Both the character animation pipeline with the procedurally and physics based animations and the destruction system fit our goals perfectly and allow us to develop a truly unique AAA experience based on the award-winning BattleTech Universe,” said Piranha Games president Russ Bullock.

When MechWarrior Online was announced, some were worried that the free-to-play model would allow for some players to buy better, stronger equipment for their mech to give themselves an edge over the “free” player. In an interview with PC Gamer from last month’s reveal, MWO creative director Bryan Ekman says that’s not a concern.

“Anything that would affect or give you a tactical advantage, you can’t purchase with real cash. You have to earn that by playing the game,” he told PC Gamer.