Titanfall players live in hope of a third title in the acclaimed sci-fi shooter series, yet Respawn and Electronic Arts are firmly focused on its battle royale reinterpretation, Apex Legends. However, there might be more wiggle room to return to Titanfall than we originally thought.
"Apex takes place in the Titanfall world and the Respawn team is incredibly proud of that legacy and brand," said Laura Miele, chief studios officer at EA, while chatting to IGN. Regarding the two titles, Apex Legends takes place three decades following the events of Titanfall 2. Kuben Blisk, the baddie of that game, is seen recruiting candidates for the Apex Games in its opening cinematic, and it's believed that he's the head honcho of the bloodthirsty sport. More Easter eggs are added to the pile when you listen to the Legends themselves: Bangalore used to work for the IMC, Revenant is a Simulacrum, and Pathfinder is an upgraded MRVN robot from Hammond Robotics.
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Five years ago, Titanfall 2 was released for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One and it was considered to be one of the greatest games of the moment, nominated for more awards than you could shake a stick at. Rumours abound that there would be a third title in the series, springboarding from the critical success of the second game, but neither Respawn nor EA would confirm. Prominent figures at the studio have expressed that they still hold a torch for Titanfall, and the fact that Apex Legends practically prints money for EA is theorised to be the reason why the team haven't been able to retrace their steps.
According to Miele, Respawn might have the freedom to return to Titanfall if that's what they so wished. "That team will determine what the future holds for Apex and Titanfall," she said. "I don't believe in directing or telling games teams what to create, it has to come from the player community, and the inspiration and motivation of developers." Miele continued to emphasise the role of the community in developing remakes or revivals of IPs within EA's subsidiaries. "With Skate for example, we knew that every time we posted on Instagram that the first comment no matter what we posted would be #skate4," she explained. "But we only want to revisit a series if we're confident we can build an experience that moves the franchise forward in a contemporary way."
Right now, Respawn is developing a new game which is unrelated to Titanfall, Apex Legends, or Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. It's also got the next chapter in Cal's story in the works, and the developer promises it will "create an incredible Star Wars experience" for the new adventure.
Featured Image Credit: Respawn Entertainment