Titanfall enthusiasts are devastated after learning EA scrapped another incubation project at Respawn Entertainment, alongside significant layoffs affecting teams handling incubation, Apex Legends, Star Wars: Jedi, and EA Experience.
Bloomberg revealed the canceled game, codenamed R7, was an extraction-based shooter set in the Titanfall universe. While not the anticipated Titanfall 3, fans expressed disappointment that Titanfall 2 remains without a follow-up nearly ten years later.
"I just collapsed in disbelief at Walmart," shared one player, while another posted: "I CAN'T HANDLE THIS ANY LONGER."
"How many more setbacks before they abandon Titanfall completely?" asked another frustrated fan.
Some fans, however, see the cancellation as a positive—arguing an extraction shooter could have tarnished the franchise permanently.
"This is actually the best outcome for Titanfall’s future," commented one Reddit user. "A failed extraction shooter might have convinced executives that interest in Titanfall is dead, rather than recognizing it was simply the wrong genre."
"I’m not upset about this cancellation," added another, continuing: "Extraction shooter? Seriously? Good riddance."
"I’m exhausted by extraction shooters—they’re repetitive and tedious. Give me fast-paced matches, wallrunning, and epic Titan battles instead," demanded a longtime fan.
"Felt disappointed... until I heard 'extraction shooter.' Then I was relieved," concluded one player.
The layoffs at Respawn impacted around 100 employees across development, publishing, and Apex Legends QA, along with smaller teams working on Star Wars: Jedi and two canceled incubation projects—one reported earlier this year, the other believed to be the Titanfall extraction shooter.
These cuts follow EA’s broader restructuring, including BioWare staff reassignments and layoffs earlier this year. In 2023, EA eliminated 50 BioWare roles and an undisclosed number at Codemasters. A 2024 company-wide downsizing resulted in 670 job losses, including approximately two dozen at Respawn.
In 2023, reports confirmed Respawn Entertainment actively developed Titanfall 3 for 10 months before shifting focus to Apex Legends.
Mohammad Alavi, Titanfall 3’s former narrative lead, revealed to The Burnettwork that significant progress had been made.
“After Titanfall 2’s release, we immediately began working on Titanfall 3,” Alavi explained. “For 10 months, we developed new technology, built playable missions, and achieved a prototype that matched—if not surpassed—Titanfall 2’s quality. But crucially, it wasn’t revolutionary.”
Despite promising advancements, the team struggled with multiplayer retention and the rising popularity of battle royale games like PUBG.
“Titanfall fans adore the multiplayer,” Alavi noted, “but its intensity limits long-term engagement. Players love it, yet few commit beyond months. We were refining this aspect when PUBG changed everything.”
Respawn’s developers grew more engrossed in testing Titanfall-inspired battle royale mechanics than traditional modes—leading to Apex Legends’ conception.
“We canceled Titanfall 3 ourselves,” Alavi admitted. “The choice was clear: iterate on Titanfall 2 or create something revolutionary. I’ll always miss Titanfall, but Apex was the right decision—so bold we didn’t even inform EA until six months later.”
