Respawn "doesn't know yet" whether it will make Titanfall 3
EA committed to the franchise - "whatever the f*** that means".
Despite EA's assurance it would stick by the franchise, Titanfall developer Respawn doesn't yet know if it will make another game.
Last month, Titanfall 2 launched to positive reviews but disappointing sales.
Respawn's sequel failed to even match the launch sales of its predecessor - despite releasing on PlayStation 4 for the first time, as well as PC and Xbox One.
Now, in an interview with Glixel, Respawn boss Vince Zampella has said he is unsure about the status of a third.
"We don't know yet," Zampella said. "[Titanfall 2] 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."
At this point an EA publicist pointed out the publisher's statement from an investor call this month - it was "comitted to the franchise".
"So, whatever the f*** that means," Zampella added.
Many have questioned the timing of Titanfall 2's launch, sandwiched between the year's two biggest shooters: EA's own Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, developed by Infinity Ward, the studio Zampella left under acrimonious circumstances.
"It definitely feels a little odd," Zampella said of Titanfall 2's busy launch window. "Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is from my old studio, that I built. And they're repackaging my old game that I built, on a brand that I built. So it's kind of like you're throwing it all against me. OK, I can live with it.
That said, Zampella cannot place the blame entirely on EA. The publisher has held found Respawn and set the studio up, even though it is independent. Any release agreement for Titanfall 2 would also need to have been signed by both parties - EA and Respawn.
On the exact timing of its release? "The exact timing, we didn't know."
"If the question was, 'Would I rather have this window to myself?' Well, of course," he concluded. "I'm not foolish. I'm not foolish that way, anyway. In other ways, probably."
It's a good interview - and there's plenty more of it over at Glixel if you want to read more.