Battledroids Original Back Cover Art

In 1983, FASA launched what would become one of the most ubiquitous title in the mech-combat genre: Battletech. But this well-known name was not the start of Battletech’s story; initially the product was sold as Battledroids. This cause a stir with Lucasfilm who had just that May released the Star Wars Trilogy’s 3rd installment, Return of the Jedi. They claimed that the term droid was their intellectual property. Legal action was taken, and FASA chose to strip “droid” from the name, changing it to Battletech, as they were in the process of negotiating with Lucasfilm for the right to produce Star Wars games, an aspiration that never came to fruition. Only a handful of products were ever released under the Battledroids name and are much sought-after by Battletech collectors.

This piece was featured on the back cover of that original Battledroids box set. It is one of the earliest pieces of Battletech-related art and is an incomparable and unique piece of memorabilia for any lover of the Battletech franchise. The piece measures 25 ½” x 20.” It remains in superb condition and will likely never be available again.

Also included are two uncut copies of the box back, just as they were produced for the game.

Don’t let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip through your fingers.