Titanfall And Apex Legends Fans Have All Eyes On Spin-Off Reports

There's a new rumor going around that has fans of "Apex Legends" and "Titanfall" more excited than they've been in ages — to a point. Respawn Entertainment has a new game in the works, and it's supposedly set inside the "Titanfall" universe. However, it's not the "Titanfall 2" sequel fans have been wanting. The news comes via gaming journalist and insider Jeff Grubb, who made the big reveal during an episode of "Game Mess Morning" on March 4. According to Grubb, Respawn has had a small team working on a new project under the leadership of Steve Fukuda, director of the original "Titanfall" game.

In the show, Grubb said that his sources tell him the project is still in its prototype phase, but also that the team working on it is being expanded. Diehard mech fans shouldn't uninstall "Armored Core 6" just yet, though. There's a catch here. Grubb said that even though the upcoming game is supposedly set in the "Titanfall" universe, he keeps being told, "Don't get it into your mind that it's 'Titanfall 3,' like a game with online multiplayer and a single player campaign."

That clarifying statement actually gives us more questions than answers. There are a few other details in Respawn's recent past that provide even more reasons for us all to be left scratching our heads. Regardless, the developer's fans are having strong reactions to the report, but there's no consensus yet on whether or not they're truly happy about it.

You'd expect most fans of Respawn Entertainment to be over the moon for news about a new game, but this particular rumor is really just revealing how many people consider themselves "Titanfall" fans first. The news that Respawn's latest venture isn't going to be "Titanfall 3" has left some fans shaking their heads in disappointment. Other fans are expressing their discontent in more aggressive GIFs. Either way, the message is clear: People really want a third "Titanfall."

>new game set in the Titanfall universe
>NOT Titanfall 3 https://t.co/FmccOdRyXF pic.twitter.com/8NIaTLBQhc

— B0l (@Bolverk15) March 5, 2024

Naturally, some members of the "Titanfall" subreddit aren't taking this news particularly well, but some are choosing to look for a silver lining, already speculating about how Respawn could combine the best elements of their IP with the latest in FPS trends. Despite the rays of hope here, some gamers have an understandably bleak outlook on this news. "Watch, next week the headline will be 'Respawn's New Game, set in the Titanfall Universe, is cancelled,'" wrote one user on Reddit. That might sound harsh, but Respawn and EA have been going through tumultuous times lately, and fans have already had their hopes about certain upcoming titles dashed.

The past year has brought a whirlwind of change to Respawn Entertainment, as it has to so many other developers across the industry. After everything that went down in 2023, a rumor about a "Titanfall" adjacent game seems particularly strange. Back in February 2023, we learned details about "Titanfall Legends," another planned spin-off that EA had just canceled. Everything fans learned about the project made them even more devastated by the idea of never playing the game. Now, fans can't help but wonder: Could this new title be taking elements from that old project? If it is, then why did EA cancel that game and lay off some of the devs working on it in the first place?

A year later, in February 2024, Respawn announced that it was canceling plans for a "Star Wars" FPS game. Amid a new series of layoffs, EA signaled a shift in strategies once again, and now Respawn seems to be focused primarily on developing its own original IP. The connections between "Apex Legends" and "Titanfall" mean that there's already a broad universe for Respawn to play around in. Some fans hope that the untitled "Titanfall" spin-off might indeed incorporate some elements from the developer's recently canceled titles. Maybe that means we'll getting a single-player game with some Titan guest stars, but it most definitely means that gamers will be keeping an eye on Respawn in the months ahead.