>>10080307There is good art for Battletech out there (Pic hilariously not related), and the whole "babbies first geopolitical intrigue" aspect appeals to others as well.
Also, the sheer amount of mechs they've added to the setting over the decades (Battletechs longevity may baffle you, but it nevertheless has outlived scores of it's contemporaries) means that everyone has one obscure favourite that nobody else has ever heard of.
It's a shame we'll never see the cartoon in blu-ray, but as for the why, that's another thing you can lay at the feet at Bobby Kotick.