RIP Titanfall

"Titanfall" has had a difficult road over the last few years. Respawn's mech-centric shooter has garnered a massive fanbase since it launched back in 2014, and that appreciation has only grown with the release of a direct sequel, "Titanfall 2," and the battle royale sensation that is "Apex Legends." However, years of cheating players, hackers, and disappointed fans have led to the unfortunately decline of the once-popular shooter. Now, the team behind "Titanfall" has announced that the game has reached the end of its journey — effective immediately.

"We've made the decision to discontinue new sales of the original 'Titanfall' game starting today and we'll be removing the game from subscription services on March 1, 2022," reads the announcement on the official Respawn Twitter account. "We will, however, be keeping servers live for the dedicated fanbase still playing and those who owns the game and are looking to drop into a match."

Although current players will still be able to enjoy the title (as much as they're able to now, at least), this announcement essentially closes the door on any new players who want to purchase the game and join in the fun. How did this happen? And what does this mean for the future of the "Titanfall" universe? While the abrupt nature of the announcement certainly came as a surprise, it makes sense that Respawn might not feel the need to continue support for "Titanfall."

Earlier this year, an anonymous group hacked "Apex Legends" to try to spread awareness of the issues plaguing the original "Titanfall," but only succeeded in angering the dev team. Respawn hit back at the hackers, with Director of Communications Ryan Rigney blasting the group for accomplishing "nothing of value," other than ruining a holiday weekend for the developers.

The discontented "Titanfall" player base has continued to dwindle over time. On Dec. 1, the day Respawn announced the end of support for "Titanfall," the game reached a peak of merely seven concurrent players on Steam. 

But while the original "Titanfall" may have finally run its course, Respawn still has grand plans for the franchise. In the team's announcement on Twitter, Respawn wrote, "Rest assured, 'Titanfall' is core to Respawn's DNA and this incredible universe will continue. Today in 'Titanfall 2' and Apex Legends,' and in the future." 

Of course, this last little bit received a mixed response from the fanbase and industry professionals. Some commenters felt that Respawn was contradicting itself by restating the importance of "Titanfall" while simultaneously pulling it from sale. Meanwhile, others took this as a possible sign that a "Titanfall 3" announcement is imminent.

It remains to be seen what Respawn's immediate plans are for the "Titanfall"/"Apex Legends" universe, but the "Titanfall" fanbase has certainly been rocked by this announcement. Offering a few words of encouragement was series composer Stephen Barton, who told fans, "As an ardent player of single player games, I have never been more excited for the future of Respawn."