‘Titanfall 2’ DLC Will Be Free For PS4, Xbox One, And PC
Titanfall 2 dropped at Electronic Arts’ E3 event, EA Play, on Sunday. The first-person shooter with giant mech buddies is coming to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC this October, and developer Respawn Entertainment has made several shifts. One is the new dedicated single-player campaign, and the other is that all DLC maps and modes will be completely free.
The original Titanfall launched for the Xbox One and PC with the traditional paid DLC packs. The player base for the game was already dwindling, and the DLC packs only served to fracture the small community of players. Respawn elected to make all of the DLC free approximately a year later, which gave the game a needed boost. It being added to the EA Access and Origin Access libraries further stabilized the player count.
Respawn Entertainment used Titanfall as a learning experience, and one of the lessons learned is how to handle new content going forward.
“One of our lessons is we’re not gonna sell maps anymore,” Lead Programmer John Shiring told PC Gamer at EA Play. “All the modes and maps coming to Titanfall 2 after release will all be free.”
“We’ll definitely be supporting Titanfall 2 post-launch, and I can confirm all maps and modes we deliver post-launch will be free. We’ll be talking more about post-launch plans closer to release so stay tuned for more info,” Head of Development David Wightman explained to GamesRadar at the same event.
“I think that’s a fantastic way to do it,” he said. “I think having the maps like that in packs, it does split the community and it makes it harder for matchmaking, it’s messy. Yeah. I don’t know we won’t do it again, I can’t say that for sure, but the idea would be to do something different.”
The model of free maps and modes supported by micro-transactions has become increasingly popular this console generation. Games like Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare showed the concept can work, and it has been mirrored in titles such as Halo 5, Uncharted 4, Overwatch, and more. Other upcoming games including Gears of War 4 and it appears that Injustice 2 will also use the same model.
The Titanfall 2 Deluxe and Collector’s Edition provide clues as to what the micro-transactions and loot drops might be used on. Both give Warpaint and Nose Art customizations, along with Call Signs and Camouflages. Single-use Burn Cards were also featured in the original title and would seem to be a candidate for micro-transactions and loot drops. They have not been confirmed to return yet, however.
Other changes coming to Titanfall 2 include the stand-alone single-player campaign about a militia rifleman forced to pair up with a veteran Titan. Man and machine are stranded behind enemy lines, forced to bond together and complete a mission they were never meant to carry out.
Meanwhile, multiplayer will feature a “robust progression system” along with new features, including a tether line that players can use to attach themselves to structures or mechs and swing themselves around. The multiplayer trailer released yesterday even shows the tether being used against an enemy player to take them out with a brutal melee.
Titanfall 2 is scheduled to release on October 28 for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC. A beta test will be available prior to launch.
What do you think of the promise of free DLC for Titanfall 2? Sound off in the comments below.
[Image via Electronic Arts]
