In the gaming industry, the development cycle of any game is often filled with twists, turns, and bold decisions. These decisions can change the game completely and can also bring many new things. One such example of a game where the development decision almost fully changed its genre was TitanFall 2.
Developers at Respawn were thinking that the next Titanfall should have an MMO experience and players can loot from the open world. These changes would have been a huge departure from the original game, but developers thought it through and stuck to their unique gameplay.
Staying True to Identity: The Decision to Not Pivot
During its development stages, Titanfall 2 flirted with the idea of transforming into an MMO experience because the industry was dominated by games like Destiny 2 or The Division. This idea to depart from the original game’s roots raised many questions among fans and developers.
In an interview, Producer and Studio Co-founder Drew McCoy explained the thought process behind the MMO decision at the start, and why he didn’t like the ideas. He said:
For quite a while dev teams thought new games needed an MMO experience and loot like in Borderlands, The Division, or Destiny. That’s not our style, we are huge fans of Wolfenstein and Doom.
In the end, Respawn Entertainment decided to stick to its roots with Titanfall 2 and ignored the MMO route. They decided to commit to providing players with their unique advanced titan combat and acrobatic first-person shooter experience.
Even senior designer Mohammad Alavi, who has been in the industry for 20 years, said the same thing about TitanFall:
I’ve worked large parts of my career on Call of Duty and I still love this series, but we want Titanfall’s campaign to be different: more creative, more parkour-driven, and with a design that triggers a puzzle-like experience.
After some discussion, the developers realized that the game’s natural essence is very good. Their unique, fast-paced, adrenaline-fueled gameplay and tightly crafted narrative became the reason why players like the game.
TitanFall 2: A Testament to Creative Belief
Titanfall 2 stands as an example in the gaming industry of how staying true to one’s creative vision always pays off. If studios start taking popular games like Destiny 2 or Boederland’s ideas, they won’t expand their creativity and give players the new experience they want.
While the developers may have entertained the idea of the game becoming something wildly different, they didn’t succumb to the market pressure. This truly made TitanFall 2 special experience different from market giants like Destiny 2 and The Division.
In the end, Titanfall 2 will always be remembered as a game about acrobatic shooting, and large mechs, that are blended together for players to enjoy the thrilling story.
