Good people, I have a confession to make. I have long since abandoned any expectation of seeing another Titanfall game. Between the success of Apex Legends (which is set, if you didn't know, in the Titanfall universe) and the lacklustre sales of Titanfall 2, I figured the series was doornail-dead, usurped by its battle royale successor. But maybe there's still reason to hope.
In a chat with Barron's, Respawn CEO Vince Zampella was asked about the possibility of a Titanfall 3, and seemed pretty receptive to the idea. "I hate to say yes, then people latch onto that, and then skewer you when it doesn't come," said Zampella, "But I would love to see it happen is the real answer".
Before you get too excited, Zampella clarified that Respawn isn't "working on anything currently" and has "no exact dedicated plans for that". But it sounds like something the company has been thinking about. "It has to be the right thing," continued Zampella, "It’s such a beloved franchise for the fans and also for us. If it is not the right moment in time, the right idea, then it just doesn’t make sense."
In particular, it looks like Respawn would have to figure out a way to make a Titanfall game that doesn't distract from Apex Legends or confuse its fans. "There’s how do you do something that doesn’t confuse people that are Apex fans, but not necessarily Titanfall fans yet," said Zampella, "It's a hard question to answer".
Personally, I'm sure people could just about wrap their heads around the idea of two games sharing a universe, but I suppose it might be a bit odd to put out a game called Titanfall 3 and market it as the next great game in the Apex Legends series when there are more than a few Apex fans who aren't really familiar with its predecessor games. Nevertheless, I'm sure it's a conundrum Respawn could figure out if that "right moment in time" for a new Titanfall came along.
It's important not to read too much into these statements. There are plenty of swell ideas that game company CEOs would be willing to endorse in theory, but will never actually see the light of day. Still, it does sound like Zampella has genuine affection for Titanfall, enough that he keeps mentioning it in interviews, so perhaps we might get a new one in the distant future.
I certainly hope so. Titanfall 2 was an underrated gem, and its Effect and Cause mission is a bonafide classic. In his Titanfall 2 review, Chris Thursten scored the game 91%, saying he "would not be surprised if we look back on Titanfall 2 as one of the best shooters of its time".
