In EA’s earnings call earlier this month, the company said they’re working with Titanfall developer “to build a franchise” and they “plan to be working with them for many, many years to come.” Despite the commitment by EA, Respawn CEO Vince Zampella told Glixel in a recent interview that he doesn’t know if they’re going to make another Titanfall game:
We don’t know yet. The game is, critically, a huge success. We’re really happy with all the reviews and the positive sentiment. Sales, it’s too early to tell. We’d definitely like to tell more of the story and the universe. I think it’s pretty safe to assume that we’ll explore more of it. EA might have announced more. Devin?
When EA publicist Devin Bennett reiterated that the company is “committed to the franchise,” Zampella said, “So, whatever the f**k that means.”
At a UBS conference earlier this week, EA CFO Blake Jorgensen reminded people that they’re building a franchise with Titanfall, “so it’s not about the first day of sales or the first week of sales, it’s about the long run.” He continued: “We’ll do a lot of things with Titanfall to continue to build engagement.” This includes a “substantial amount” of free content going into 2017 and building the franchise “around people and engaging with the title.”
Respawn’s Drew McCoy discussed Titanfall 2 releasing so close to Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare with us last month, saying there was no changing the date. In the Glixel interview, the close proximity to Battlefield 1 was brought up, with Zampella replying:
If the question was, ‘Would I rather have this window to myself?’ Well, of course. I’m not foolish. I’m not foolish that way, anyway. In other ways, probably.
When Glixel mentioned that Respawn knew who they were going against when they chose this window, Zampella said, “Yes. The exact timing, we didn’t know.”
Bringing up the fact that publisher EA owns Battlefield, and Zampella himself suggested he was concerned publishers would put more effort behind their own games, Glixel asked Zampella if he thinks he’s getting enough support from EA. “It’s always a concern,” he said. “That’s what I’ll say. Especially when you have two games on top of each other.”
Do you think Titanfall 2 will hit EA’s target of nearly 10 million?
