MechWarrior 2 is on Xbox Game Pass, but it's definitely one of the worst versions of the game
Don’t hold your breath – MechWarrior 2 on Xbox Game Pass isn’t a proper PC version. Looks like we’re still out of luck when it comes to playing it on modern computers.
Yesterday, Microsoft announced the Retro Classics collection for Game Pass, featuring over 50 Activision games from 1980s and 1990s. Titles like Kaboom!, Pitfall!, Grand Prix, and MechWarrior 2: 31 Century Combat are part of the lineup. But if you're looking forward to MechWarrior 2, don’t get your hopes up, it’s not the version you were probably expecting.
The reason we’re not getting a MechWarrior 2 re-release
No, it’s not the real deal. MechWarrior 2 from Retro Classics collection is just the PS1 version running on an emulator. So, we can count on downgraded visuals, worse performance, and maybe a few other issues. And as Art of Battletech & Mechawarrior said on X “this is a cloud-streamed” port, and it might not even be available in every country.
Bad news for GOG and Steam users as well – chances are a proper PC version won’t show up there either. And why’s that, you ask? It’s the classic combo: legal shenanigans and money. What else did you expect?
Source: Xbox Game Pass
MechWarrior 2 has been stuck in legal limbo for quite some time. The biggest roadblock to re-releasing it comes down to complicated licensing issues. Even though Activision made and published the game, Microsoft now owns the rights to the MechWarrior brand. In the past, getting the game re-released would’ve meant Activision and Microsoft had to strike a deal – and that would’ve come with extra licensing fees. Trevor Longino, who used to be head of PR and marketing at GOG, even called those legal issues “insurmountable,” saying the money made from a re-release just wouldn’t be worth the hassle and cost of sorting it all out.
On top of that, MechWarrior 2 has had tons of versions, like the Titanium Edition, Pentium Edition, and Arcade Combat Edition, each with different hardware and system needs. Some versions were even tweaked for specific graphics cards like the 3Dfx Voodoo, which makes running them on modern PCs a real pain. Even using emulators like DOSBox or MechVM, players still run into problems with compatibility and stability.
Source: Microsoft
When Microsoft announced its intention to acquire Activision Blizzard in 2022, there was hope this might clear up the legal mess since both companies would be under one roof. But even after the deal went through, no word on re-releasing MechWarrior 2 yet. Looks like Microsoft doesn’t see enough market potential in refreshing such an old title.
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