What you need to know
- According to a new report, a single-player game set in the Titanfall and Apex Legends universe has been cancelled by Electronic Arts (EA).
- The game, codenamed "Titanfall Legends," was in development at Respawn Entertainment by 50 developers.
- Reportedly, EA will try and find new positions for these developers, though they will be laid off with severance if it is unable to do so.
- This news comes after EA recently cancelled both Apex Legends Mobile and Battlefield Mobile, as well as a delay of Respawn's upcoming Star Wars Jedi: Survivor game to April 28, 2023.
Fans of the immensely popular Apex Legends battle royale game and the Titanfall series that takes place in the same universe have been hoping for a single-player game in the franchise for several years now. Unfortunately, one that was in development will reportedly never see the light of day.
According to a new report, Apex Legends and Titanfall publisher Electronic Arts (EA) has cancelled a single-player game, codenamed "Titanfall Legends," that was based on these titles. Three people familiar with the game's development have said that the game was being worked on at Respawn Entertainment — the studio that makes Apex Legends and Titanfall, as well as Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and the upcoming sequel, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. 50 of Respawn's developers were working to create the game.
According to sources familiar with the situation, EA's managerial staff have informed the game's development team that the publisher will attempt to find a place for them within the company. However, anyone who can't find a new position will be given severance packages and cut from EA and Respawn.
Titanfall Legends was directed by Mohammad Alavi, a veteran level designer for several Call of Duty titles, both Titanfall games, and Apex Legends. Notably, the game has never been publicly announced, revealed, or advertised.
While the original Titanfall did not ship with a single-player experience, Titanfall 2 did when it launched in 2016. The game won near-universal acclaim from fans and critics alike for its campaign, with many praising its story, gameplay, level design, art direction, and more. The third Titanfall game ended up becoming Apex Legends, a free-to-play multiplayer battle royale experience without a similar campaign or story mode. Apex, which shadow-dropped in 2019, ended up growing into one of EA and Respawn's most successful projects, as the game has earned over $2 billion and continues to enjoy a consistently high player count.
This news comes after EA recently cancelled both Apex Legends Mobile and Battlefield Mobile. The publisher said that "despite Apex Mobile’s strong start, the ongoing experience was not going to meet the expectations of our players," while Battlefield Mobile was cut as EA said it "decided to pivot from the current direction to best deliver on our vision for the franchise and to meet the expectations of our players." Industrial Toys, the developer of Battlefield Mobile, has been shuttered amid these cancellations.
Respawn Entertainment's Star Wars Jedi: Survivor was also recently delayed to April 2023, with the studio taking to social media to explain the reasoning behind the decision. "In order for the team to hit the Respawn quality bar, provide the team the time they need, and achieve the level of polish our fans deserve, we have added six crucial weeks to our release schedule," Respawn wrote. The game is now expected to launch on April 28.
Windows Central's take
As someone who loved Titanfall 2's campaign and has always wanted to see Respawn continue making single-player experiences in the Titanfall/Apex universe, this news is pretty devastating.
While it's currently unclear why EA chose to axe the game, the publisher has historically spoken about its prioritization of multiplayer and live service-type experiences. Though EA CEO Andrew Wilson said that single-player games were "really, really important" in a 2022 earnings call, CFO Chris Sue immediately pivoted to talking about the fact that "live services still encompass ... over 70 percent of our business."
So, does EA truly care about single-player games? It's hard to say. It published the highly successful Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, greenlit the upcoming Star Wars Jedi: Survivor sequel, and delivered the excellent Dead Space remake. Yet, it also cancelled this single-player "Titanfall Legends" project, which may have been a huge hit with Titanfall and Apex players.
Perhaps the publisher is focusing on its most successful and profitable games amid strained economic conditions and an anticipated recession, opting to avoid projects it considers risky. After all, Titanfall 2 sold poorly despite its accolades — though there's a strong argument to be made that the flop was due to the game being sandwiched between the launches of Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare.
Ultimately, we won't know for sure why EA scrapped the game unless it publicly comments on the situation. Regardless of the reasoning behind the cancellation, though, it sucks to be a Titanfall fan right now.
