At long last, the true sequel of the MechWarrior series is in the works, and it's coming in as a single-player game that goes by the name of MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries.

Developed by Piranha Games, the continuation is a big step-up from its previous free-to-play MMO MechWarrior Online, which eventually turned into a "grind fest" with little or no lore of the world of BattleTech to offer.

The Real MechWarrior Experience In Tow

True to the MechWarrior style, it features all the elements that allowed the franchise to garner thousands of fans the world over, including but not limited to piloting huge bipedal robots, shooting down foes with a variety of firearms and repairing and upgrading them to become leaner and meaner fighting machines.

Set in the year 3015, players will put on the shoes of a MechWarrior pilot, joining the Third Succession War as it "continues to fracture the Inner Sphere."

"Take contracts from the factions of your choosing and engage in tactical, first-person, PvE 'Mech combat through an immersive, career-based Mercenary campaign driven by player choice. Victory, prestige, and profit will not only require skill on the battlefield, but in the acquisition, maintenance and enhancement of your BattleMechs," Piranha Games says.

Pre-Alpha Trailer Revealed At MechCon 2016

At MechCon 2016, the developers have shown attendees a 7-minute video that gives a glimpse of what's in store, and needless to say, it's already up online.

Check out the first look at all the action in the clip below:

VR Could Make MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries Even Bigger

Based on the video, it appears that it's perfect for VR gaming, as the player will be sitting in the cockpit of a MechWarrior, which is pretty similar to EVE: Valkyrie.

However, there's no word about it, and everything that fans can really do at this point is wait for an official announcement.

Expected Release Date Is Not Far Off

According to Piranha Games, MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is slated to launch in 2018. It also mentions that MechWarrior Online will continue, with each game having a dedicated team to maintain development for the two.

What do you think of the upcoming MechWarrior title? Feel free to hit us up in the comments section below and let us know, especially if you're as excited as we are to get in the cockpit and blast down robot after robot in the BattleTech universe.