With recent hits likeStar Wars Jedi: Fallen OrderandApex Legends,Respawn Entertainment has become a household name among EA’s studios. But more recent fans might not remember that the studio’s first projects were 2014’sTitanfalland its 2016 sequel, which both stood apart from the FPS crowd with an incredible premise: taking control of mech suits and the elite pilots that fight with them in explosive, far-future battles.
These days, the studio might be better known for throwing would-be champions into arenas and letting players live out theirStar Warsfantasies, but fans and the studio itself both haven’t forgotten about its roots. With a new generation on the horizon, the coming years could be the perfect time foraTitanfallcomebackor Respawn could just as easily continue its focus on its existing hits.
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The Case for Titanfall 3
The originalTitanfallearned positive reviews at launch, though a major criticism of Respawn’s debut title was that it lacked a compelling single-player campaign. With many of the studio’s staff at the time being comprised of former developers fromModern Warfarestudio Infinity Ward, the absence was felt much more strongly back in 2014 than with more recent, story free shooters.
Respawn took the feedback to heart.Titanfall 2arrived two years later with a refined multiplayer experience and a substantial story component hailed as one of the best FPS campaigns in years. Players fell in love with the fast-paced combat, the variety of Pilot andTitan playstyles to choose from, and the bond between lead characters Jack Cooper and BT-7274, butTitanfall 2failed to impress publisher Electronic Arts on store shelves. The game’s sales, while decent, just couldn’t stack up againstCall of Duty: Infinite Warfareand EA’s ownBattlefield 1,both of which launched in a relatively similar timeframe.
Apex Legends and New Ventures
The studio’s efforts to continue the series were eventually refocused into the battle royale format withApex Legends, its first title released after EA bought Respawn in 2017. Meanwhile, a second team within Respawn worked to build upon its single-player expertise withStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.Both games bookended 2019 with successes for Respawn and EA, which gave the studio a level of recognition it arguably had deserved from the beginning.
But the decision to focus on new projects meantTitanfallhad to take a backseat. Studio head Vince Zampella confirmed in May 2020 that a third game was not in development, but the second saw a resurgence in activity on PC after launching on Steam over the summer. By August, executives at EA were suggesting that aTitanfallreturncould be on the way, stopping short of announcing new developments ,but making it clear the publisher hadn’t forgotten about the series.
The most compelling case for Respawn and EA to start working onTitanfall 3is, quite simply, that it’s a series players still care about. The studio’s frequent use of elements from the first two games withinApex Legendshas stirred up fan interest since that game launched a year ago. Much likeMirror’s EdgeandSkatebefore it,Titanfallhas a premise and a style all its own that holds a strong appeal to a particular kind of gaming fan, and even if it might not have as much mainstream appeal as other EA games, ignoring the love fans have for the series would be a mistake.
Conversely, EA could be willing to sacrificeTitanfall’s future in favor of games it believes have greater chances to be sales successes. The publisher’s history of pulling the plug on series that failed to meet expectations—Dead Space,Burnout,Command and ConquerandSimCity, to name just a few—is well documented. Fan responses have occasionally been enough for the company to give some of its less successful titles another shot, but these cases are usually the exception rather than the norm.
EA’s ruthless reputation certainly doesn’t inspire much hope, but Respawn’s recent success bodes well for the studio’s moves as console players move to the Xbox Series X and Playstation 5.ApexandFallen Orderearned a laundry list of award nominations, including a win atthe Game Awardsfor Best Multiplayer Game for the former. The heightened profile and Respawn’s track record for producing hits could be enough for EA to consider a gamble with a less proven but still well-loved property likeTitanfall. Even if it doesn’t sellStar Warsnumbers, Respawn still has two established series to fall back on.
