IGF 2002: MechWarrior 4 Clan add-on details

Yesterday, Microsoft revealed details about the Inner Sphere 'Mech Pak, a forthcoming expansion to MechWarrior 4. Shortly thereafter, the company also revealed some information about the Clan 'Mech Pak, another upcoming MechWarrior 4 expansion. Like the Inner Sphere 'Mech Pak, the Clan 'Mech Pak will feature four additional BattleMechs that players will be able to add into MechWarrior 4. Neither product will have any original single-player content beyond that, so the purpose of these add-ons is really to give hard-core MechWarrior 4 players more fodder for their multiplayer skirmishes.

Though all four of the Inner Sphere mechs have been revealed, Microsoft stated that only the cauldronborn will definitely be included in the Clan add-on. The other three mechs have not been chosen yet, and the decisions will be based on the results of fan voting on the official MechWarrior 4 Web site. Like the Inner Sphere 'Mech Pak, the Clan 'Mech Pak should retail for just $10. Both expansions should be released a few months from now.

Microsoft hinted at other plans to expand the MechWarrior franchise, including the possibility of a stand-alone MechWarrior 4-based product that will be focused on a single-player experience. The company is evidently very interested in continuing to create new products in the MechWarrior line--perhaps due in part to the fact that hard-core fans of previous installments practically demand it.