I still remember it like it was yesterday. After killing any buzz for the Xbox One beforehand, Xbox’s E3 2013 presentation promised it was all about the games. And to be fair, there were quite a few – Ryse: Son of Rome, Sunset Overdrive, Forza Motorsport 5, Quantum Break, and various third-party titles like Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
However, the one release that arguably generated the most buzz is the same that closed the show—the multiplayer trailer for Respawn Entertainment’s Titanfall. The setting, the movement, the little details, and most importantly, the Titans. Hearing the words “Standby for Titanfall” still gives me chills more than a decade later.
And say what you will about the iffy “story” mode (which was no replacement for a proper campaign), lackluster post-launch support, the challenge grind, the paid map packs, or how it should have also been released on PS4. Titanfall was a masterpiece, combining high-skill ceiling movement and combat with a beyond-cool premise to deliver a multiplayer experience like no other. Even if you weren’t looking to hit the highest Pilot Generation, playing Extraction was a wondrous experience that felt organic and exciting.
Given the sales ambiguity and how quickly its player base fell off in the first year, there wasn’t much hope for a sequel. And yet, Respawn Entertainment would reveal Titanfall 2 in 2015, addressing nearly every single complaint from the original. It boasted an incredible single-player campaign that’s still one of the best in the genre. It revamped player and Titan progression, giving the latter more personality and strategic options. New weapons, cosmetic customization, maps, modes, execution animations – the list went on. Even the Smart Pistol was relegated to being a Boost weapon instead of a regular tool.
Again, there were some flaws, but once again, Titanfall 2 was special. So it’s a shame that Electronic Arts once again screwed the franchise over by dropping it close to the release of Battlefield 1, never mind Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare launching a few weeks later (yes, even if it was Infinite Warfare).
Since then, Respawn has trailblazed its own path, particularly with the acclaimed Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Survivor. It also made serious bank with its take on the battle royale formula, but no matter how many tie-ins and connections it made, it couldn’t replace the feeling of boost-jumping, wall-running, and calling down Titans.
A recent rumor gave fans some hope for the series return. Leaker Yorotsuki, who seemingly has a history of leaking news for the series, alleged that Titanfall 3 is in development with a reveal at this year’s The Game Awards and a release in 2026. Another leaker, Osvaldatore, apparently corroborated the same, and more details emerged shortly after about it featuring a single-player campaign and several modes from Titanfall 2, though the main mode was apparently an extraction shooter.
Before anyone could really process all of this and whether Electronic Arts was to blame for ruining yet another beloved formula, Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb quashed the rumor, noting on the Power Block, “It’s not real.”
“There is a Skunk Works team headed up by Titanfall 1 director Steve Fukuda…he’s got a small team over there that is probably messing around with games that have Titans in them, right? Titanfall 1 creator over there, messing around with the small team, prototyping stuff the way Respawn has traditionally done.
“Does he have something that’s a prototype that has Titans in it? I would guess so. I don’t know for sure, but I would certainly assume that that is a safe thing to think. Now, is that gonna get announced in 2025 and released in 2026? No way.” And that’s even if Fukuda’s project or whatever it ends up becoming even gets off the ground.
This is far from the first rumor about a new Titanfall. Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier reported that a single-player spin-off was cancelled in 2023. There was also news last month from former executive assistant and production coordinator Emilee Evans that an “unannounced incubation project” had been cancelled. This same team was set up several years ago and meant for developers with experience in multiplayer shooters. The safe assumption is that this was another such project, though whether it was the next Titanfall or not is unknown.
Whether a new game is in development or not, it’s still reasonable for fans to wonder: Where the heck is Titanfall 3? It’s beloved among the fan base, and given the downturn that Respawn’s battle royale shooter has seen, it wouldn’t be the worst idea to bring it back.
Unfortunately, there are several potential reasons why that may not happen. Electronic Arts could very well look at the overall success of Titanfall 2 and decide it’s not worth pursuing a traditional competitive shooter, that too, one that doesn’t feature your usual live-service elements. And even more unfortunately, in this age of extraction shooters, hero shooters and Fortnite, it’s likely not going to greenlight a game like Titanfall 3 if it follows the same formula as its predecessor.
Keep in mind that Titanfall 2 already featured some of those elements – the Titans were already hero-like in their design – and even received more support than the first game. Even if EA launched it at the worst possible time, there’s no way it looked at the game’s success and decided it was worth investing in a sequel.
If Titanfall 3 were to adopt other more popular shooter elements, there is a chance that it could be worth playing if it retains that signature gameplay feel. However, the problem, yet again, is EA looking to monetize it, much like it did for Respawn’s battle royale shooter, and squeeze as much revenue as possible. And given that it’s discussed a 2.0 version of the latter rather than anything remotely resembling a sequel to Titanfall further dashes our hopes.
Maybe it’s down to the multiplayer shooter fans want more games like Valorant, Fortnite, Marvel Rivals, Battlefield, Call of Duty or even Overwatch 2. Maybe the time isn’t right for the Titans to return, though it’s always faced competition, even before many of those games existed.
Regardless of how much sense it makes financially or whether it could find an audience, there’s no denying the appeal of a new Titanfall. I still have fond memories of grappling around, jump-shotting and sliding into enemies, or climbing on a Titan’s back to dismantle it, never mind skeet shooting ejecting pilots out of the air. Maps like Airbase, Lagoon, Smuggler’s Cove, Boomtown, and Crash Site were so much fun to play – the balance of elements for both Pilot and Titan traversal and combat is still a triumph to this very day.
There may be other shooters out there to pursue – as evidenced by all the resources and development teams that EA is throwing at the next Battlefield. But maybe the genre needs a game like Titanfall 3 to shake things up and prove that it’s not all about following the latest trends or trying to bleed your audience as much as possible. It may be impossible, but stranger things have happened in the gaming industry.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
