I actually didn't see this game until recently, and though I'm familiar with Mechwarrior from PS1 days, never heard of battletech. But when I first heard of this game and looked into it, I was instantly sold! We don't get enough inter-galactic, mecha-based, space operas now-a-days, but this one looks so good! I agree on the more emphasized single-player aspect being something more enjoyable. Don't really like competitive games, but I do like me a great story.
That being said, I'm not going to be able to pick up this game right away. I'm preoccupied with finishing my second play through of Pillars of Eternity before Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire arrives on May 8
. Second game I ever backed on kickstarter (Divinity Original Sin 2 being my first one).
Also if you guys like Battletech, you might also like the newly kickstarted game Iron Harvest. It's an Real-Time Strategy based in the 1920+ Universe, the same as the board game Scythe if anyone is familiar with it. It's basically an alternative reality set right after WWI, with giant 1920s style mechs roaming around. It kind of like a combination of Company of Heroes and the lore of Scythe.