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Respawn CEO: Despite sales stumble, expect more 'Titanfall'
Titanfall 2 has sustained its playerbase and momentum with free DLC every month since its release, but there's no question that the game was a hit that didn't make the impact it should've. In an interview, Respawn's CEO chalked it up to an inconvenient release window, but the long chat revealed the company's plans to expand the franchise, though he wouldn't say anything concrete. Luckily, the franchise's mobile game, Titanfall: Assault, just got a wide release date of August 10th.
'Titanfall 2' DLC adds another weapon slot and new maps on June 27th
It might be hard to top Titanfall 2's last DLC release that dropped the first new playable titan since the game launched. But the mech-filled multiplayer shooter's next free content block will add something back that fans have been wanting for months: Another weapon slot allowing players to carry both anti-titan weaponry and a sidearm in addition to their main gun.
'Titanfall' returns to mobile as a real-time strategy game
Titanfall 2 might not have been the runaway success Respawn was hoping for, but it has a tight-knit community that love its parkour movement and robot-on-robot warfare. Now, with the help of Nexon and Particle City, the franchise is getting a strategy spin-off called Titanfall Assault. Details are scarce, but the pair is promising fast, real-time player-versus-player combat. You'll be commanding a mixture of pilots and titans, upgrading a virtual "deck" that features both soldier types and tactical, match-shifting Burn Cards along the way. Victory will help you climb the game's leaderboards and presumably unlock cards to tackle higher-ranked foes.
Exploring what made the 'Doom' and 'Titanfall 2' campaigns tick
The new Doom was almost one of my favorite games last year. While it was edged out at the last minute, there's no denying how refreshing the game was. Developer id's laser-focus on speed, making the player throw caution to the wind and tossing modern shooter conventions out the window was incredibly exciting. Titanfall 2 on the other hand took a major complaint levied at its predecessor and delivered one of the most unique shooter campaigns we've seen in an awful long time. As Mark Brown of YouTube channel Game Maker's Toolkit points out, the story modes put fun ahead of everything else.
The 'Titanfall' mobile game will die on the vine
If you managed to get access to the Titanfall: Frontline beta, congratulations: You're playing a mobile game marked for death. "We've learned an incredible amount in the beta test of Titanfall: Frontline, but in the end felt the experience wasn't ready to deliver the intense action-packed gameplay synonymous with Titanfall," a post on the game's website says.
Next 'Titanfall 2' update mostly ignores the Titans
You'd think that any big Titanfall 2 update would revolve around the game's namesake robots, but no -- Respawn wants on-foot action to be the focus next time around. It's preparing a free upgrade whose centerpiece is Live Fire, a six-on-six pilot-only mode. You have just one minute to either eliminate the entire enemy team or hold a neutral flag when time is up. The mode is important enough that there are even two new maps created just for the purpose.
First 'Titanfall 2' DLC includes a no-nonsense skins store
Respawn made it a point with Titanfall 2 to ditch some of the more annoying business models of modern games (such as charging for important add-ons), and you're about to find out how well that works in practice. The studio has revealed that its first downloadable content pack, Angel City's Most Wanted, will arrive on November 30th... and this is not the usual case of charging a small fortune for a handful of extra gameplay. The extension not only gives you a 'new' map (surprise: the original game's Angel City), a new pistol and several titan kits completely free of charge, but introduces an in-game skins store that is the opposite of what you frequently see in other blockbuster titles.
'Titanfall 2' multiplayer will be tweaked after fan feedback
Last weekend Titanfall 2 opened its doors for the first of two multiplayer test weekends, allowing fans to play an alpha version of the game for free on Xbox One and PS4. While it achieved a goal of testing out some of Respawn Entertainment's revamped cloud-based server technology (and will be followed by the second test this weekend running Friday through Sunday), players also had a lot of feedback about how the game plays.
'Titanfall 2' multiplayer tech test is now open to all
Jon Shiring, the lead engineer for Titanfall 2 at Respawn Entertainment, announced via Twitter on Friday that the game's first "Multiplayer Tech Test" session is now live. The open event (no pre-orders or game codes necessary) which runs through the weekend will give players the chance to try out the game's first two mechs (Ion and Scorch). Players will also be treated to five new competition styles: Bounty Hunt, 5v5, Pilots vs. Pilots and 8v8.
Crafting a story for 'Titanfall 2'
Titanfall 2 represents a huge opportunity for Respawn Entertainment. When the first game launched in 2014, the Xbox One was still in its infancy, and struggling from Microsoft's disastrous messaging. Titanfall received plenty of accolades for its human-versus-robot combat, but never found an audience befitting a veteran Call of Duty developer. The follow-up could be different, however, because it's headed to the PlayStation 4 in addition to the Xbox One and PC. The game will also feature a full-blown campaign -- a first for the franchise and something the original was criticized for not having.
'Titanfall 2' doesn't ditch Microsoft's cloud; it builds on it
When the original Titanfall launched exclusively on the Xbox One, Windows and Xbox 360 in 2014, it took advantage of Microsoft's Azure cloud system, which allowed developers at Respawn to add AI teammates and enemies in a low-lag gaming environment. It also meant that some regions, such as South Africa, never saw the game, because Microsoft's dedicated servers simply didn't exist in the country. This all changes with Titanfall 2.
Here's everything we saw at EA's E3 'Play' event
Today, video game juggernaut Electronic Arts kicked off this year's Electronics Entertainment Expo with a show all its own. If you weren't a member of the press or one of the lucky few fans that were let into the event to experience it firsthand, don't worry: We've collected all the trailers that made their debut on The Novo theater's stage and put them in one handy spot for you. Want a look at the new multiplayer trailer for October's Titanfall 2? Look no further. How about FIFA 17's intriguing single-player story mode? We've got your back there as well, with a few other bits like a new glimpse at Battlefield 1's World War I action. Join us below, won't you?
'Titanfall 2' explores the human-robot link on October 28th
EA isn't waiting until its big E3 shindig to say more about Titanfall 2. The publisher has followed up leaks by posting a trailer revealing the first few details of Respawn's next robotic shooter, including its widely-reported single-player campaign. You take the role of Jack Cooper, a Militia soldier who links with a Titan after its previous pilot is killed in action. From all indications, that human-robot connection will play a central role in the story -- your Titan is as much a friendly helper as it is a relentless war machine.
'Titanfall 2' lands this autumn
Slowly but surely, game publishers and developers are starting to reveal their hands ahead of E3 next month. Electronic Arts is no different, and by way of its quarterly earnings report (PDF) the publisher has revealed that the now-multiplatform Titanfall 2 will debut this fall. With the recent news that Mass Effect: Andromeda is slipping into next year, that means the sequel to developer Respawn's mech-heavy shooter will sit alongside Battlefield 1 from Dice in autumn.
The makers of 'Titanfall' are working on a 'Star Wars' game
Respawn is ready to break out of the Titanfall mold... and in a way you probably didn't expect. The game studio has announced that it's working with EA and Lucasfilm on a third-person Star Wars action/adventure. It's saying precious little about the title, which doesn't even have a release date, but it will run on the Unreal Engine (according to job listings) and "pay respect" to the series' universe at every step. Suffice it to say that this won't just be Titanfall with lightsabers and AT-STs. It's not a guaranteed success, but Respawn's early track record suggests that it'll take Star Wars seriously.
'Titanfall 2' will have a real single-player campaign
Respawn hasn't said much about its Titanfall sequel beyond plans for multi-platform support, but some details are starting to trickle out... and they'll be good news for fans of the robot-slash-infantry shooter. In a chat with Forbes, head writer Jesse Stern notes that Titanfall 2 will have a real, honest-to-goodness single-player campaign when it arrives either late this year or early next. That's not completely shocking given that the team didn't have the resources to flesh out its solo game the first time around. Still, it's reassuring if you were frustrated by the original's barely-there offline experience, which really just amounted to AI matches with a sliver of story in between.
'Titanfall' is going mobile
Titanfall, the mech-based multiplayer shooter from the creators of Call of Duty, will land on iOS and Android in some form in 2016. Titanfall studio Respawn Entertainment has partnered with free-to-play publisher Nexon and mobile developer Particle City in a multi-year, multi-game deal. There are no details about the mechanics or style of the coming Titanfall mobile games, but considering Nexon's involvement, it's a good bet that they'll be free with in-app payments. "Nexon's unrivaled publishing network and free-to-play expertise will allow Titanfall to reach new global audiences. And with Particle City, we are closely collaborating to create all-new standalone games with original gameplay experiences that expand the Titanfall universe to players everywhere," Respawn co-founder Vince Zampella says in a press release.
This is what Titanfall looks like on Xbox 360
Titanfall doesn't officially release for Xbox 360 until tomorrow, but somehow a few gamers have gotten it early and, what's more, they've decided to show it off. The good news is that the game appears to play exactly the same on the Xbox 360 as it does its current-gen counterpart -- just as developer Bluepoint Games promised. The graphical fidelity isn't as easy to judge, however. Two of the videos below (spotted by NeoGAF) aren't what we'd call great representations of the title: one is a Twitch stream and another looks like it was shot with a cheap handheld camera. A third is a full direct-feed Attrition match on Boneyard. In the Twitch stream, the game is a bit laggy and the frame rate dips quite a bit in spots, but that could be a result of the game running on pre-release servers. We spoke with the user and he said that since that stream he's had a much better experience with very low ping.
Titanfall on PCs will soon support 4K and NVIDIA's latest graphics tricks (updated)
Many gamers already argue that the PC version of Titanfall is the best-looking of the bunch. Pretty soon, though, it won't even be a contest. Respawn plans to update its robotic shooter to handle both 4K displays as well as a host of technology from NVIDIA's GameWorks program, including full support for multiple GeForce cards, improved antialiasing and more realistic shadow effects. The upgrades aren't all that surprising. Some modern video hardware is powerful enough for 4K gaming, and developers have already used GameWorks to spruce up flagship titles like Assassin's Creed 4 and Call of Duty: Ghosts. Still, the visual improvements are bound to make a big impact -- Titanfall is one of the most important games of the year, and a good excuse to pick up a new gaming rig. Update: Right now however, Titanfall is getting some tweaks on its servers that will change how it plays on PC and Xbox One. The updates will roll out over the next day, but you can see a changelog on Respawn's forums here. There are a number of fixes and updates included, and among them it appears the controversial Smart Pistol is having its effectiveness reduced, with slightly lower accuracy from hip fire and decreased damage when it's not locked-on. A troublesome glitch that allowed Burn Cards to be duplicated has also been fixed, and point values for certain actions in Hardpoint and Capture The Flag games have been adjusted.
Watch us play Titanfall for Xbox One (poorly) right here! (update: and it's over!)
Xbox One's first major release officially drops this week: Titanfall, from the folks who made Call of Duty into the 800-lb. gorilla it is today. Well, specifically, it launches tomorrow, but we've got it right now and thought you'd like a taste before deciding if it's your next thousand-hour addiction, so we're streaming it via Twitch just below the break. Though both Ben Gilbert (that's me!) and Tim Seppala are on the stream today, you'll have to settle for just Ben's audio as we try and figure out how to incorporate more editors into the mix. Technology is hard, folks. And hey, this is our first stream, so let us know what you think in the comments: love it? hate it? what would you like to see? what don't you? Your input is appreciated! Now let's go shoot some robots. Update: Sorry for the troubles, folks. With the Xbox One Twitch app still in beta, we're having some issues keeping a stream up and running. Bear with us! Update 2: Okay folks, we're out! Again, please let us know how you feel about this concept in the comments/via email/on Twitter/etc.! Head below for the archived video, and thanks very much for joining us!
