Macross has mostly been defined by numerous iconic anime, though the equally classic VF-1 Valkyrie units have also had their fair share of cool toys over the years. Being second only to the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise in popularity, it's also had several video games. Unfortunately, none of these have been particularly monumental, with many of them lacking a release outside Japan.

The nature of the Macross series has kept the franchise mostly contained to Japanese consumers, with Westerners only knowing it as Robotech. That property has its own video games, some of which have actually been somewhat successful. Now, a new Macross anime series and video game are on the horizon, highlighting the disparate history of the franchise as a whole.

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The Macross Series Has Had Several Video Games

The first Macross game - simply titled The Super Dimension Fortress Macross - released in 1983 for the Arcadia, a short-lived system that was quickly forgotten in the marketplace. The first game from the franchise to release on "notable" hardware was the 1986 game of the same title, which came out for Nintendo's Famicom home console (the Japanese equivalent to the Nintendo Entertainment System). A rather primitive shoot 'em up game in the style of arcade classics, the title's prominence was the result of an early joint effort of Bandai and Namco, who later merged.

In the next decade, several other video games released based on the anime series, with arcade title Super Spacefortress Macross even entering North America. Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Scrambled Valkyrie was a successful shooter on the Super Famicom, and it was largely the most notable and well-received of the "classic era" games. The 2003 Sony PlayStation 2 Macross and the Macross Ace Frontier games on the PlayStation Portable were also fairly well-received themselves, but they were all held back by one major element. These games were stuck in Japan, and even the anime they were based on never released in America.

Ever since the 1980s, Macross took a different form in the West: the Robotech franchise. This cartoon was a Frankenstein amalgam of three unrelated anime, two of which were part of Big West's "Super Dimension" trilogy of unconnected programs. The show was popular for the time, but anime purists were also critical of the changes made to the source material. The legal entanglements between Big West and Harmony Gold, the Western company that handles Robotech, made things worse. Most of the newer Macross anime released after the original series (which made up the first and most popular third of Robotech) were never brought to the West or even adapted as a new version of Robotech. The result was the development of a wholly separate property which actually had several of its own video games.

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The Robotech Series Has Its Own Video Game Legacy

The first planned Robotech video game was the ultimately canceled Robotech: Crystal Dreams. It was intended to be a launch title for the Nintendo 64, with a working demo even shown at E3 1998. Hyping up the game's release was a promotional comic book from Antarctic Press, which currently had the license to the franchise. Sadly, the game was soon canceled, and it was emblematic of the property's health at the time. The Robotech comic books from Antarctic Press were heavily criticized by fans, who much preferred the franchise's publications from Eternity Comics and Academy Comics. Antarctic's ownership of the license ended in 1998, with Robotech: Crystal Dreams canceled the same year.

Robotech: Battlecry released a few years down the road for the Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox and eventually, the Nintendo Gamecube, with the game receiving decent to fairly good reviews. Robotech: The Macross Saga (based somewhat on Valkyrie Scramble) was a shoot 'em up for the Game Boy Advance, and it also fared well among fans and critics. It even received an HD remake for modern hardware. Unfortunately, Robotech: Invasion was more negatively received, with one of its biggest sins being its notoriously bad cover art. It and later mobile game Robotech: The Next Generation were quickly forgotten, with said reception speaking to a notable trend with the property.

The most well-received Robotech games were based exclusively on the "Macross Saga," the '80s cartoon's first segment. The other two sections of the series adapted footage from Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross and Genesis Climber MOSPEADA, with neither part being as beloved nor as iconic as the Macross Saga. Even then, one of the most iconic parts of the first series was the design of the Valkyries, which was used to create the toy for the Generation 1 Transformer Jetfire. Thus, it's no surprise that the games based on these parts of the story weren't exactly beloved. Ironically, these games are the main ways in which the franchise has stayed alive, as there's been no new animated series since the '80s. Likewise, comic book releases have been sporadic since the 2000s began, and with none of the newer Macross shows or games released outside Japan, Western fans have been practically starved for content. Thankfully, that's finally changing with a new video game set for a 2024 release.

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The Latest Macross Game Changes Everything for the Franchise

In 2021, Big West, Studio Nue and Harmony Gold finally reached a legal agreement, allowing for the Macross franchise to finally enter the West. This deal involved the new video game Macross: Shooting Insight. Developed and published by Bushiroad Games and Kaminari Games, the modern shoot 'em up game will span the breadth of the many Macross anime. Featuring pilots and idols from these shows, the gameplay will shift perspective and give gamers and experience that's both new and retro. Most importantly, it's releasing on January 25, 2024 on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5 in all regions, including North America.

There's also a new Macross anime project in the works, ironically from Sunrise (the same company who handles rival mecha property Gundam). Fans know little about the project, especially regarding its potential release outside Japan. Given the precedent set by the arguably much lower-key Macross: Shooting Insight, however, it's likely to at least be subtitled and released on a streaming service such as Crunchyroll. All it took was a retro-themed shoot 'em up to bring the world of Macross to audiences around the globe. Hopefully, video games for both Macross and Robotech release in the future for gamers who can't get enough of either.