EA sent “Titanfall 2” out to fail, but “Apex Legends” is giving Respawn Entertainment’s excellent FPS an extra life.
It’s fall 2016 and all the major video game developers are gearing up for the holiday shopping season. The battle to be on every kid’s holiday wish list is something that never changes, as games can make 30 percent or more of their annual revenue in just a few weeks.
For 2016, developer Activision is publishing two “Call of Duty” games with “Infinite Warfare” and a high-definition remake of its most popular “Call of Duty” title: “Modern Warfare Remastered.”
The “Call of Duty” series regularly tops the annual sales charts, and they are all but guaranteed to be on top in 2016 with “Modern Warfare Remastered.”
The top competitor to “Call of Duty” is the “Battlefield” series from Electronic Arts. “Battlefield 1” is returning to its roots with a game inspired by World War I. Fan anticipation for “Battlefield 1” is high because both “Battlefield” and “Call of Duty” have moved away from their World War II origins, in favor of both modern and futuristic settings.
Curiously, Electronic Arts announces a second, first-person shooter during the 2016 holiday season. “Titanfall 2,” from developer Respawn Entertainment, is the sequel to the 2014 Xbox exclusive “Titanfall.” This year, “Titanfall 2” will include a single-player campaign and will also release for both Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
Being released one week after “Battlefield 1” and one week before “Call of Duty,” “Titanfall 2” never stood a chance. The sales numbers (according to VG Chartz) speak for themselves, as “Titanfall 2” got crushed by two much better known and anticipated games.
“Battlefield 1” – October 21 = 12.4 million units sold. “Titanfall 2” – October 28 = 3.1 million units sold. “Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare” – November 4 = 3.6 million units sold.
This is all very unfortunate because “Titanfall 2” was a much better game than either of its 2016 competitors. This is supported by the gaming press with “Titanfall 2” scoring an 89 on Metacritic while “Infinite Warfare” came in at a 77, one of the worst scores for a “Call of Duty” title.
The campaign for “Titanfall 2” featured one of the best gameplay twists in recent memory (no spoilers, you will know it when you get there). And while “Call of Duty” and “Battlefield” were cashing in on randomized loot boxes, “Titanfall” featured only cosmetic items where you pick the exact item you want. The online multiplayer was also well supported with special events and the post-launch addition of “Frontier Defense mode” (“Horde mode” for you “Gears of War” fans).
Respawn Entertainment made plenty of consumer-friendly decisions with “Titanfall 2,” but its most recent decision is breathing life into “Titanfall 2.” Based in the “Titanfall” universe, “Apex Legends” is the newest, free-to-play, battle royal game, going head-to-head with the likes of “Fortnite,” “Call of Duty: Blackout” and “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.”
“Apex Legends” was released on Feb. 4, 2019, and has been setting records for streaming services and concurrent online users, reaching 25 million players in one week. This is unprecedented success for a game that no one knew existed until it launched, and it has had a tremendous effect on “Titanfall 2,” as well. The online player count has doubled across all platforms and lobby wait times have been dramatically reduced for this Xbox One player.
If you want to dive into “Titanfall 2,” there is no better time than right now. Discounts on the digital download can often be found on the PlayStation and Xbox stores for $10 and used physical copies can also be found for around $10.