While Titanfall is ultimately responsible for spawning one of the most popular battle royales around right now, fans of the core series have lamented Respawn Entertainment's distance from the core series. Unfortunately for fans of the original Titanfall, it seems that Respawn is closing the door on the title that started it all.
Titanfall fans have been open about wanting to see an eventual Titanfall 3, but so far, Respawn Entertainment hasn't shared any major information on if or when that might happen. While Apex Legends is still going strong, those who never gave the first Titanfall a try will find it a bit tougher to do so soon.
Respawn Entertainment took to Twitter today to reveal that the original Titanfall is being pulled from game stores effective immediately. The game will also be pulled from subscription services by March of 2022. While Respawn openly stated that Titanfall is a part of the company's DNA, the numerous server issues due to hacking and DDoS attacks, as well as dwindling player count numbers on services like Steam have likely led Respawn to move its focus entirely elsewhere.
Previously, it had been revealed that only a few people were still actively working on Titanfall. Those developers are likely now moving to Apex Legends, which is still doing quite well for itself, especially following the release of Ash, who initially appeared in Titanfall 2.
While many Titanfall players are surely enjoying Apex Legends, the overall demand for a new entry to the Titanfall series hasn't diminished over the years. Fans are now five years out from Titanfall 2's release, and with no sign of a Titanfall 3 being in progress, Titanfall's removal is likely upsetting news to many. For what it's worth, the multiplayer servers for Titanfall are expected to remain online for the forseeable future, so those with access to the game should still be able to play it. Of course, it remains to be seen if the servers remain stable, or if they fall victim to attack yet again.
At the moment, the general response to Respawn's announcement seems to be disappointment. Some have pointed out that the original Titanfall is seven years old at this point and many gamers have moved on, either to its sequel or other titles entirely, arguably diminishing the blow. Others, however, worry that Titanfall 2 could see the same fate in the future. With any luck, the Titanfall series will continue as its own entity at some point, but for now, players will just have to keep hoping.
Titanfall is playable on PC and Xbox One.