This is because there was a significant difference in gameplay between the X-wing series and the Rogue Squadron series. Also the last game in the X-wing series, X-wing: Alliance, came out just a few months after Rouge Squadron. Also Rogue Squadron had no multiplayer. The primary reason for X-wing vs. TIE Fighter was multiplayer and it was a significant portion of X-wing: Alliance. As someone who was actually playing X-wing: Alliance on the Microsoft Zone at the time I can tell you that the userbase largely considered the Rouge Squadron game to be a cheesy watered down game for consoles. So there was no obligation to ignore; there was just little appeal and some stigma attached to them.Eldritch Warlord said:
Honestly I'd rather see a modernized version of X-wing Alliance. The fan run X-wing Alliance Upgrade project shows that the same engine used back in 1999 can still be used and not look dated with new models and textures. Someone had made a mission editor that was capable of creating missions as elaborate as the ones used in the main campaign. I thing either including an editor with the game or even selling it separately would help popularize the game. The main two things X-wing: Alliance needs are a more easily accessible multiplayer experience and more people playing it.
Previously to play X-wing: Alliance one had to log into the Microsoft Zone find a room and then launch into the game. Currently people actually still play the game using a third party client and pretty much simulates the Zone experience. Building the matchmaking into the game itself I think would be a step forward. Seeing Dice deciding to launch from the browser with their latest Battlefield iteration leads me to believe that match making can still be done outside the game proper, but I still don't see it as preferable.
Streamlining the multipalyer, updating the models and textures, and adding a new campaign I think would be sufficient for making a new game that they could release that would draw in new players.
Unfortunately there would still be drawbacks. It would still probably be limited to 8 players though. Also I don't know how hard it would be to implement tracking stats like many modern games do. (Which I think is motivational to many players though I don't care for it myself.) The game did track kills of different craft and stored them in a file locally, but I think modern gamers would be more interested in their KDR and accuracy rating in each craft.
I really have no expectation of seeing another game that would truly play like the original X-wing series, but I would gladly purchase one if it were ever to be available.