Bethesda announces BattleCry

A melee heavy take on Team Fortress set in a world where gunpowder is outlawed.

When Zenimax Media announced plans to set up a new studio in Austin headed up by industry veteran and Star Wars: The Old Republic executive producer Rich Vogel, pretty much everyone assumed they would be making an MMO of some sort. Rumours claimed BattleCry Studios were making Fallout Online following Bethesda winning the full Fallout rights from Interplay. That was not the case at all and instead BattleCry Studios have been hard at work on BattleCry a team-based online multiplayer that reminds us a lot of Team Fortress 2. It's also notable that it's been designed by Viktor Andonov of Half-Life and Dishonored fame, something that can be easily spotted in the character art and environments.

"The BattleCry team is happy to unveil the game that bears our studio's name," said Rich Vogel, president and executive producer at BattleCry Studios. "We have been hard at work to create a fresh experience for gamers that brings together multiplayer action with visually stunning combat and are excited to share details about the game and have people play BattleCry in Bethesda's booth at E3."

BattleCry is rather brutal at times.

Images of some of the maps in the game.

The game offers 32-player matches, three factions (two of which, the Cossack Empire and the Royal Marines have been revealed), 5 classes (brawler, gadgeteer, enforcer, duelist, and archer).

Here's a brief description of the setting and story:

"Following a cataclysmic world war at the dawn of the 20th century, the most powerful Empires left standing came together to ban gun powder under The Black Powder Treaty. The short peace that followed gave birth to the Pansophic Revolution - a golden age of industrial manufacturing and design. As technology advanced, old tensions reignited and soon the world faced the scourge of war once more. Fueled by technological Pansophic advancements, the face of warfare has changed. All disagreements are settled head-on by elite teams of chosen warriors from all over the world, with each member specializing in either high-tech ranged gadgetry or sophisticated melee weapons. Trained and bred for battle, they meet each other in sanctioned WarZones to face off for their share of glory."

Encounters between two players are typically settled within a matter of a few seconds.

BattleCry is heading towards its beta phase in 2015 and you can sign up over on the official website. For more of our impressions head over to our hands-on preview.