Respawn Entertainment just rung the death knell for Titanfall 1; as such, starting today, sales of the title will be discontinued. This news comes amid ongoing drama about the hackers and cheaters who continue to plague the original Titanfall on PC, effectively rendering the game unplayable in many respects. Problems with cheaters hit such a low over the summer, in fact, that a group of dedicated users launched an attack on Apex Legends, hoping it would encourage Electronic Arts and Respawn to take stronger actions against Titanfall cheaters.
Titanfall in general has encountered more than its fair share of stumbling blocks since arriving in 2014. The first entry showed great promise with incredible movement and shooting mechanics; of course, the Titan-based gameplay kept many a player invested, as well. However, the lack of a story campaign served as one shortcoming that Respawn's debut outing couldn't surmount. As a result, the studio developed quality story content and a sound multiplayer suite for Titanfall 2. An ill-advised release period essentially cut the sequel off at its knees before it received an honest chance - famously, Titanfall 2 hit stores a week after Battlefield 1 and a week before Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. Now yet another blow has struck the series.
Today, December 1, Respawn delivered sad news to Titanfall faithful in a Twitter post. Starting today, the developer is discontinuing all new sales of the original installment. Its removal from subscription services will begin next spring on March 1, 2022. One silver lining exists in the news that Respawn plans to keep the servers running, though there's no word on how long such a commitment may persist. The studio finished its message by telling fans that Titanfall remains "core to Respawn's DNA... Today in Titanfall 2 and Apex Legends and in the future." See the full message in the text-laden image below:
Suffice it to say, such an announcement hasn't gone over well with players, particularly those still concerned about hackers in Titanfall and Titanfall 2. Making matters worse is the fact that no one gave the public a warning before pulling the plug on sales. This news was to be expected, though; the original title is now more than seven-years-old. Since support for the ever-popular Apex Legends continues to ramp up, Respawn's online support for legacy experiences were bound to reach a stopgap.
Hopes remain high that a traditional Titanfall experience will eventually see the light of day in a third mainline entry. As of writing, however, Respawn has no such project in development, according to developers.
Titanfall 1 hit PC, Xbox 360, and Xbox One in 2014.
Source: Respawn/Twitter