With EA publishing the next Titanfall from Respawn Entertainment, PlayStation fans will be experiencing the next edition of Titanfall. But what does the future hold for the franchise, and what does the developer think of making games for Sony’s new console?
CVG had a couple of interviews with those that work over at Respawn, one of those including COO Dusty Welch. According to the interview, it looks as if his goals are to expand upon their debut success and being able to take chances at a later time. Also, he praises both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
Here’s the highlights of the interview.
On creating a new IP:
Well, if you build a successful franchise, it’s important to work on your craft and expand that franchise out. Our primary goal at Respawn is to delight the consumer, and the quality of our work is most important.
Look at what model Pixar has adopted. They try new IP over a two-to-three year period, while at the same time supporting their key franchises. Their major successes allow them to take the risk with other projects.
Remember, Respawn had a number of people formerly from Infinity Ward that wanted to create a new shooter without having to meet the requirements of a Call of Duty game. But they know that it takes to establish yourselves as a developer, and if one game catches on publicly, then they will always gobble up subsequent sequels.
It’s after releasing multiple games in a franchise where its best to test the waters and find out what other things will stick.
On working with the PlayStation 4:
Well, we love the platform and we love playing on it. As we go forward, we will of course consider all of the platforms that make sense for our games. So there’s nothing in the short term, but certainly PS4 is something we’re looking at in the future.
Because Respawn doesn’t have ties with Microsoft (unlike many first-party developers under the Sony umbrella), they should be willing to create games for other platforms. This was pretty much assured when rights to publish Titanfall 2 were given to EA back in March.
Welch brought up EA later in the interview and found it “encouraging” to be working with a publisher that puts “the player first,” similar to how “Activision did the same thing years back.”
On the first year of both Xbox One and PS4:
I love that Microsoft has adjusted its price value mix for the Xbox One, I think it will really help the system grow. Sony is off to an amazing start too with the PS4, and part of the reason is that the system has become so developer friendly when compared to the last generation.
Titanfall has been the biggest system seller so far on the Xbox One, and early adopters were treated to a free edition of it if they picked up the console recently. Now, Microsoft’s newest console may not come with Respawn’s game but shaved $100 off its retail price by ditching the Kinect.
The interview essentially assures us of two things: That there will be plenty more of Titanfall on the way and it will be spreading onto Sony’s console in the near future.
