Respawn Says Xbox Exclusivity Was 'Out of Our Hands'
By Dalton Cooper 26 September 2016
Respawn Entertainment’s Dusty Welch and Joel Emslie discuss how the decision was made to make the original Titanfall console exclusive to Xbox systems.
The original Titanfall blew away those in attendance at E3 2013, taking home numerous Game of the Show awards from various publications. As the first new game from acclaimed Jason West and Vince Zampella since Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, there was significant hype behind the game. Even so, the fact that it was console exclusive to Xbox was the source of disdain from some fans, as it meant that PlayStation 4 owners were left in the dark. Now, a couple of years removed from the game’s release, Respawn has elaborated on the decision to make the first Titanfall Xbox One exclusive.
According to Respawn COO Dusty Welch and art director Joel Emslie, the decision to keep the first Titanfall away from PS4 wasn’t made by Respawn at all. On the contrary, that decision was made by publisher Electronic Arts, as the company carved out an exclusivity deal with Microsoft ahead of the game’s E3 2013 reveal. “That decision is one that was out of our hands,” Emslie said. “[…] We would always like these to be multiplatform. The more consumers that can play ’em, the better. It’s not about money, it’s about the audience base, which is important. We would have loved to have been with PlayStation from the beginning.”
Titanfall was still very successful despite its Xbox exclusivity, with a sales curve ahead of Call of Duty, but as Welch points out, the upcoming Titanfall 2 has potential to be an even bigger sales success since it is releasing on PS4 as well as Xbox One and PC.
Overall, Welch and Emslie don’t think that the first Titanfall being Xbox exclusive hurt the franchise. After all, the original Titanfall was a massive sales success despite its limited release, and not only that, but PlayStation gamers can jump into the sequel without feeling like they’re missing out on the story or anything. That’s because the first Titanfall didn’t have an actual campaign, whereas the sequel is introducing a traditional story mode to the series.
When Titanfall 2 releases next month, PS4 gamers don’t have to worry about never playing the original. They will be able to enjoy the story, and play a multiplayer component that will function similar to the first game’s, except with a lot more content to flesh out the experience. As Welch explained, “Titanfall 2 is a really refined, robust, well-balanced game, so we’re excited that the PlayStation audience, seeing it for the first time, is getting an incredible, highly-rated game.”
With Titanfall 2 set to launch on October 28th, we won’t have to wait long to see if PlayStation 4 gamers will embrace the series, even though they missed out on the original. Considering Titanfall 2‘s free-form single player campaign, extensive multiplayer mode, and six new Titans, chances are good it will be a hit with both Xbox and PlayStation gamers next month.
Titanfall is available now for PC, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
Source: PlayStation Lifestyle
