FromSoftware had the intent for worldwide localization , with a targeted North American release for 2005 with competitive Xbox Live multiplayer modes , and had gotten to the point of making available a secret playable demo of the Japanese version through a demo disc in issue 39 of '' Official Xbox Magazine '' . FromSoftware did not comment immediately on the reason the localization was canceled . Journalist John Sczepaniak believed the game 's American satire and themes of terrorism may have given publishers cold feet . According to Zach Huntley of Kakehashi Games , the Japanese publisher working with Devolver Digital on the 2019 remaster , the game 's long development period left its release near the end of the Xbox 's lifecycle , and Microsoft was already shifting their focus to the Xbox 360 . In 2018 , FromSoftware confirmed that the political climate following the attacks of September 11 , 2001 led them to cancel localization . Takeuchi had expressed some remorse for not being able to provide the promised worldwide release for the game . '' Metal Wolf Chaos '' remained as part of a small selection of Japanese exclusives for the original Xbox system . The game grew a cult following , despite its limited regional availability . For years after its release , Takeuchi long heard rumors about Westerners asking for the game , but could not understand why they would want to play an old Xbox game not released in their region . In 2016 , American publisher Devolver Digital posted a message on Twitter offering to help localize '' Metal Wolf Chaos '' . The fan reaction to the message prompted Takeuchi and FromSoftware to begin conversations with Devolver . The porting was handled by General Arcade , with consultation from Takeuchi and some FromSoftware staff . Also involved in the project was Kakehashi Games , a Japanese company which helps independent developers publish their games in Japan . The cross-functional team 's priority was to release the game as it originally was , only upgrading visuals , and potentially adding additional story missions
the attacks of September 11 , 2001
September 11 attacks
Metal Wolf Chaos