There have been whispers about Respawn Entertainment's new prodigal child, Apex Legends, floundering compared to its other Battle Royale counterparts. In light of this, some might think that the company would turn its attention to its other highly successful property, Titanfall, and particularly onto the rumored third title in that franchise. However, it appears that a Titanfall delay is likely as Respawn has chosen to prioritize Apex Legends support instead.
It was already revealed by Respawn's lead producer, Drew McCoy, that Apex Legends was largely the reason why the company had shelved any plans for Titanfall 3. Despite that, it was expected that some sort of continuation to the popular series would arrive later this year. The latest from McCoy seems to suggest otherwise, and calls into question all future plans in light of this Titanfall delay.
GameSpot has now reported that the Titanfall delay is more widespread than just affecting the title that was going to be announced in 2019. A blog post from McCoy has apparently confirmed that the team at Respawn is "pushing out plans for future Titanfall games" and that "no resources from the Apex Legends team are being shifted to other titles in development".
Given that it's highly unlikely that any manpower shortage on the Titanfall side is going to be filled by those currently working on the big ticket Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, this postponement doesn't bode very well for the future of the franchise. The recent reception to Apex Legends has been lukewarm at best, with streamers like Dr. Disrespect and Shroud looking further afield because of issues with the game, and the title's popularity falling behind Fortnite on platforms like Twitch. Respawn's battle royale gem will likely need a fair amount of continuous work to keep up with its games-as-a-service counterparts, and if that pressure never abates than McCoy's comments make it seem like this Titanfall delay could be an indefinite hiatus.
It's anyone's guess at this point as to whether Respawn is flogging a dying horse here with Apex Legends instead of pivoting and focusing on Titanfall, which has been a proven success for them over the years (and clearly, is in demand with fans). There hasn't been any news at all about the type of game that the projected Titanfall release this year was going to be, so it's hard to miss it all that much in the scheme of things, but the question remains: would Respawn be better served by diverting attention from a flagging title to cut their losses?
Source: GameSpot