Metal Wolf Chaos exists as a weird little anomaly of pop culture. It has become a video game cult classic of sorts, and the vast majority of its admirers have never had the chance to play it. How many other cult classics — across all mediums of entertainment — reach that status based on reputation alone?
Understanding why Metal Wolf Chaos getting a remaster courtesy of Devolver Digital is especially noteworthy requires an understanding of this game’s complicated history. In the early 2000s, From Software teamed up with Microsoft to create a mecha shooter with a ridiculous over-the-top spin on American presidential politics. (This was well before From Software was more or less synonymous with Dark Souls for the majority of people. Back then, Armored Core, another mecha shooter, was the developer’s most popular franchise.)
The reasoning for this partnership mostly behooved Microsoft. The original Xbox had struggled to catch on in Japan, and Microsoft wanted an Xbox-exclusive title from a big-name Japanese developer. It didn’t work. Metal Wolf Chaos didn’t gain much traction. When it came time to port the game for western audiences, Microsoft had lost interest. It was more focused on promoting the upcoming Xbox 360 than worrying about ports of games that underperformed. The two sides mutually dropped it.
Source: Destructoid Metal Wolf Chaos is as absurd and amazing as everyone says it is