After protracted negotiations, Palladium Books and Harmony Gold have announced that Palladium has once again acquired the rights to produce roleplaying game products based on Robotech.  The license includes both the TV series and the recent feature Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles. 

Palladium's first release will be Robotech:  The Shadow Chronicles RPG, planned for late November release.  In homage to the Japanese origins of the Robotech property, the RPG will be released in a 192-page, manga-size trade paperback.  It will be written by Palladium founder Kevin Siembieda, who also wrote the original Robotech RPG, with cover by Apollo Okamura. 

Palladium has indicated that its new Robotech books will use some of the best artwork and text from its previous Robotech RPG releases, but says that 'all of the new books will be substantially rewritten, expanded upon, and illustrated with much new artwork.'  All will be released in 5' x 7' formats, with the hope that they will appeal not only to Robotech RPG fans, but also to Robotech fans that just want more info about the world.  Special larger-sized deluxe editions are under consideration. 

The timeline of the new game books will be brought into line with current continuity.  Rules will be modified and updated from the original, and statistics adjusted.  Palladium promises that considerable attention will be paid to the Southern Cross segment of the Robotech storyline.  No reprints of old Robotech sourcebooks or games are planned. 

Here is the planned order of release for Palladium's Robotech line:

Robotech:  The Shadow Chronicles RPG

New Generation/Invid Sourcebook

The Macross Sage RPG

Southern Cross Sourcebook

Plus more sourcebooks for them all, rewritten and retold. 

In addition to the recent attention to the property from the new Shadow Chronicles feature, which FUNimation distributed theatrically and on DVD, there's also word of a live action Robotech feature in development (see 'Robotech Live Action'). 

Palladium has had a long relationship with the Robotech property going back over 20 years.  It held the RPG license from 1986 to 2000, and was the first company to release Sentinels, Southern Cross, and New Generation (Mospeada/Invids) on videotape. 

Palladium sold approximately 150,000 of the basic Robotech RPG volume during that period, which does not include sales of sourcebooks or the Sentinels RPG.