MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries has a new release date, December 10th, and it'll launch as an Epic Games Store exclusive on PC. Refunds will be available until September 1st (00:00 UTC). An 'Exclusive Closed Beta' test is expected to begin on November 5th for those who had pre-ordered the game's Community edition.

　　Russ Bullock, executive producer at Piranha Games, stated:

　　Our partnership with the Epic Games store allows Piranha the opportunity to make sure MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries meets our internal goal of creating the best MechWarrior game possible. Since we announced the development of the first single-player MechWarrior game in 17 years, we have stated that our goal was to deliver to fans a MechWarrior: Mercenaries experience with true freedom of choice and to be able to share that experience in a coop setting.

　　Understandably some fans will be disappointed that they have to wait a short while longer for MechWarrior 5, but it’s important to Piranha Games that we absolutely get this right. We are happy to say that our new partnership with Epic Games store allows us the time and ability to accomplish our goals both in the games development and marketing efforts.

　　The developers have also prepared a detailed FAQ on the game's official website, where they provided additional explanations on both the delay and platform choice.

　　Why is the game delayed?

　　When we announced our September release date it was our best estimate on the time we needed to make the quality of game we desired, as well as a release date we felt wouldn’t be overcrowded.

　　As we approached the date it was becoming congested with several very large game releases and it was becoming clear it would be very challenging to meet our marketing and localization goals for that date.

　　Once we started to look for a new release window it was natural that we wanted to move into our normal early December event window we have enjoyed these past 4 years. This would allow us to put considerable more quality into the game while also giving us the time needed to localize to other languages and to put considerable effort into marketing the game's release.

　　Why is MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries an Epic Games store exclusive?

　　Partnering with Epic gave us the ability to delay our release to early December so that we could make the quality of game we desired as well as the financial footing to make sure MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries could be properly localized with a significant marketing effort.

　　We also feel very strongly about discoverability and believe that MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries has a greater chance of market success on the Epic Games store.

　　For how long will MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries be an Epic Games store exclusive?

　　MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries will be exclusive to the Epic Games store for a year.

　　Will MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries be available on any other digital platforms in the future?

　　Yes, after the year exclusive MW5 will most likely show up in other digital game stores.

　　The original purchase FAQ mentioned a Steam key, can I still get a Steam key?

　　Unfortunately no, however, we are offering full refunds.

　　Will the Epic Games store support modding like Steamworks?

　　We are fully committed to supporting mod making for MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries. Upon the game release, mod makers will be able to download the editor and everything they need to create full mods. Then early in 2020, we will integrate the end user experience for mod makers to share their creations with the community.

　　Epic Games store plans to release modding support, including product-specific storefronts for mods, in early 2020.

　　MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is expected to launch with real-time ray tracing and DLSS support thanks to the partnership with NVIDIA.