The Clans, as a faction or something of the like will never be available. HOWEVER!!!!!!; I think there will not be any factions as we would think of them (MPBT 3025 style with extras) at this point. We'll get something that says DECLARE ALLEGIANCE TO HOUSE MARIK or something of the like, and we'll still all be in the same matches together, it's just that when we win there is a loyalty point gain with House Marik, for example. There will probably be a section of the store for loyalty point purchases like Defiance AC/20s for people with X Steiner reputation. So don't get too grandiose with what you think CW will amount to.
My new prediction is such:
There will be Clan 'mechs announced between October 16 and December 31. Most likely there will be a "bundle" like phoenix or the
Now here is the kicker. I can almost assure you that there will be a Timberwolf in this first package. Reason being that's the best bait for someone to sink money. A Timberwolf will bring in money...hands down, no question. Anything else in that package will be locust-esque and irrelevant as soon as someone sees that Timberwolf.
How you have been looking at this incarnation of Mechwarrior needs to be clarified. What we are seeing now with the "revelations" in Ask the Devs 45 and 46 is similar to what was being said in November and December of 2012. Something like, "just wait until the next three months and you'll see", is old hat to