Apex Legends is the team based battle royale game set in the Titanfall universe that launched today. By all accounts, it is great, and we should expect that given how fantastic Respawn’s work usually is. But it is not Titanfall 3. And given just how unique Titanfall 2’s campaign was, to many, while this may be fun, it’s not an adequate replacement. Where is Titanfall 3?
Not in development, apparently. Speaking to Eurogamer, Lead producer Drew McCoy said that Apex Legends is what Respawn is working on (alongside the already announced Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order), and that they are “committed to making it a proper live service game”.
“There are some people who think there are too many battle royale games or it’s a fad, the world thinks we’re making Titanfall 3 and we’re not – this is what we’re making,” he said.
This is, as I said, a shame. Apex Legends looks great, and will probably be a well deserved success for Respawn, a studio that has otherwise had circumstances work against it since its inception. But Titanfall 2’s single player campaign was a unique spark of incredible game design in a genre where game design often feels neglected (at least in the single player sphere), and to know that there is no true follow up to that inbound anytime soon? That is bound to sting some fans.
But I suppose this is what the job listings from some months ago, and EA’s statement regarding multiple Respawn games launching in 2019, were referencing, at any rate.