Apex Legends takes place in the Titanfall universe.
Following rumors about Respawn’s new free-to-play, battle royale Apex Legends that launched Monday, the game is not Titanfall 3, nor is a third installment of the highly-praised game being made at the moment, reported by Eurogamer.
Apex Legends is set within the Titanfall universe and takes place 30 years after Titanfall 2, but is not a sequel. The game focuses around the area known as the Outlands, with characters who compete against one another in what would be looked at as a true battle royale environment.
“There are some people who think there are too many battle royale games or it’s a fad,” Lead producer at Respawn, Drew McCoy said. “The world thinks we’re making Titanfall 3 and we’re not – this is what we’re making.”
According to Kotaku, Titanfall 3 was in fact in development in the fall of 2017, but after EA acquired Respawn, the studio wanted to release it as fast as possible due to fear that it would look outdated if it released anytime after 2018. They reportedly then shifted gears to create the free-to-play first person shooter game, that is Apex Legends.
After the unexpected announcement and release of the battle royale game, Respawn has now confirmed that Titanfall 3 is not in development.
In an interview with Game Informer, Respawn noted the skepticism around a battle royale in the Titanfall universe and their hopes for the fan base.
“Our goal for this game and our community is to be very transparent with them. To be completely honest, we know this game has skepticism around it. It’s not Titanfall 3. It’s a very different game than everyone excepted. It’s battle royale, which for some people is a fad right now. Instead of trying to convince a skeptical audience over a period of time with marketing and interviews, why not just let the game speak for itself? The best antidote for any skepticism is to see and hopefully believe.”
Apex Legends will have loot boxes to offset the free-to-play world – which was not decided by EA – along with running by the seasonal game model.
McCoy stated clearly to Game Informer that EA had no part in the development of the game, and that Respawn had to sell the idea of the game of EA themselves.
“But also, we decided to make this game. Not to be throwing EA under the bus, but this wasn’t the game they were expecting. I had to go to executives, show it to them, and explain it and…not convince but more, ‘Hey, trust us! This is the thing you want out of us,'” McCoy said.
The first season of Apex Legends is set to launch in March 2019 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. For more on the newly launched game, check out the best tips every player should know when jumping into the new battle royale.
Jessie Wade is a news writer for IGN and isn’t that into battle royale’s but thinks this game sounds amazing. Chat with her on Twitter @jessieannwade.
