Summary
Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has revealed that he would like to revisit the classicMechAssaultseries one day, which was released on the original Xbox console. While Xbox has built up a number of franchises emblematic of the brand, such asHalo, there are a few series that were left to the wayside over the years. One of these includes theMechAssaultseries, which was one of the first games to support theXbox Live online multiplayerfunction.
MechAssaultwas first released in 2002, developed by Day 1 Studios and published by Microsoft for the original Xbox. Its notoriety comes from how it would help nail down the features that would become standard practice with its implementation of Xbox Live. This subseries takes place in the same universe as its more well-known brother franchises,MechWarriorandBattletech.While the game would get a sequel in the form ofMechAssault 2: Lone Wolf, the series came to a quiet end after its 2004 release. However, Phil Spencer states that he’d like to revisit this series one day and revive it.
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In an interview at the Tokyo Game Show, Spencer was asked about what IP he would like to see revived fromXbox’s lineup. He states he always wanted to go back and revisit theMechAssaultandMechWarriorseries, believing that there’s a lot of potential there. He acknowledges that both series had done a lot of things that were considered ahead of its time, even beating games likeHaloto the punch in terms of incorporating online multiplayer.
Day 1 Studios would go on and rebrand itself as Wargaming Chicago-Baltimore, where it now works on theWorld of Tanksfranchise after being acquired by the Wargaming parent company.Day 1 Studios once hadReign of Thunderin development, which was a game in the same vein as MechAssault. After its acquisition by Wargaming in 2013, the status of this project has been left in the dark. Its brother seriesMechWarriorgot a brand-new game in 2019,MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, which was the first single-playerMechWarriorgame since 2002.
While alluding to thebig Xbox leakthat occurred not too long ago, Spencer states that this idea isn’t necessarily a leak, and just hopes that there would be an opportunity to revisit the series one day. Fans of this underrated mecha series expressed their interest inMechAssaultgetting a revival, though note it’s quite unlikely considering the current Xbox landscape.
