Electronic Arts has acquired Titanfall developer Respawn Entertainment for a fee which could rise as high as $455 million. The news comes just weeks after the publisher closed down Dead Space developer Visceral Games and handed its troubled Star Wars project to its EA Motive team. While both EA and Respawn have shared a close relationship since the studio’s inception, it had remained independent until now.
The move will give EA more control over Respawn’s output, with last year’s Titanfall 2 struggling to meet its sales targets after it appeared to compete directly with the release of Battlefield 1 – a mistake we doubt will be repeated. The developer’s currently got two publicly announced titles in the works: a Star Wars game headed up by former God of War director Stig Asmussen, and an as-of-yet unnamed virtual reality project. It’s safe to say there’ll probably be more Titanfall on the way, too.
While fans of the developer may be worried about what the acquisition means, co-founder Vince Zampella made all the right sounds in an interview with Venture Beat: “For fans, my message is we are still Respawn and we are going to make things better. It doesn’t change the future of Titanfall. Only positives come from it, like more resources.” The deal is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
[source venturebeat.com]
Comments 44
Some of the folks over at BioWare said the same thing...
@ShogunRok Beat me to it.
So the end is nigh for Respawn.
Vince Zampella must be seriously rich. Didn't he get a huge payout from Activision for unfair dismissal or something, too?
More wood for the firepit
Surely these developers must know that signing with EA is like signing their own death warrant.
Jason Schierier left an interesting tweet saying Nexon wanted to buy Respawn but EA had first refusal. Then Visceral close down, then EA buy Respawn.
On a side note, I wonder if EA could look at bringing Titanfall 1 to PS4 now, bit similar with Mass Effect 1 after they bought Bioware.
RIP Respawn we will miss you.
@adf86 I imagine the ship has sailed for that game now TBH. Does anyone really want it with the sequel now out?
Man it's understandable that they kill off the studios that aren't making titles that give the wanted money!
But I don't understand this! So they bought the studio behind Titanfall...don't get me wrong I loved the singleplayer content...but after some mp rounds I think that the game is just a poor man's splatoon!
@get2sammyb Yes me, cos it has the Smart Pistol that isn't relegated to a timed ability .
Personally I still want to play it though, maybe they can bundle it with the deluxe edition of Titanfall 3 or something.
@adf86 @get2sammyb the sequel does so many things better that anyone who would buy the first game over the second one should be considered insane and put into an asylum!
@AFCC I enjoyed TF2 a lot but I also heard from some veterans of the original that the sequel's maps aren't as good and it isn't as balanced so I'm curious.
Potentially very silly question incoming. Do EA find some legal loophole to find a way force developers do become subsidiaries, or are developers actually becoming part of EA willingly?
@AFCC Its sucking up the (more often better) competition, ruining the next games so they arent quite right. Jibbing them off completely and then carrying on with the battlefronts, need for speeds and fifas of the world. Rinse and repeat. They are basically buying up companies to stop them competiting.
It may be a companies death warrant. But the owners get rich and then leave the industry probably on some silencing order.
@ThroughTheIris56 its called money. Unfortunately money talks more than decency or sense.
@themcnoisy those games sell! And doing videogames is a pricey thing! If they don't sell enough for profit it doesn't matter how good the games are...
Like, Dishonored 2 is a great game, it sold poorly! I don't remember more games like that but I know that this year alone there are a bunch of great games that sold poorly...
So it's understandable but at the same time sad that a company like EA has to shut down studios!
Yay Microtransactions in anything they make now!
Another one bites the dust
So EA takes out a competitor to Battlefield so they just have to worry about CoD.
Conspiracy theory:
EA drops Titanfall 2, between Battlefield 1 & CoD IW with the intent of having the game fail, making it easier to acquire the studio.
Titan fall was actually a really amazing game but I chose bf1 over it since the beta felt disappointing . Nut played the full game and loved it. Higly recomend it for story mode n the co-op os fun.
F**K!!!
@AFCC EA kills of everything and lets be fair Burnout was great where is it now. EA buys studio's to kill of the competition. The worst game from Insomniac under EA. Somehow EA is the one who always pushes the developers over the edge when they '' help '' with development.
EA acquired Respawn just to shut them down.
RIP Respawn 2021?
Place your bets on the year they close.
EA are a bit like Chelsea FC. They buy good players who other teams want then make them wither away and rot in reserves before dumping them a few seasons later.
@ThroughTheIris56 It starts with shares, slowly becoming the majority shareholder, then pressure from financial stakeholders to make the best return on their investment. Selling the studio now its on a relative high is the best way to ensure that return.
@Jakovasaur Maybe they would've closed the studio way earlier without the deal with EA. Who knows?
So it sounds like they traded the Uncharted-style Star Wars game for another go at desperately trying to make Titanfall a thing.
This will be fine for their next set of releases, then one won't perform and BOOM restructure. However, I would suggest that Respawn have had more experience witht he whole multiplayer/service style of game then Visceral. Probably a closer match than Visceral who clearly had such things forced into Dead Space 3 and didnt really want to make Battlefield Hardline.
"We are the EA. Your biological and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own. Resistance is futile."
All these were to 2015... so RIP Respawn... Assiimilation in progress..
Mythic (Dark Age of Camelot)
Bullfrog (Syndicate, Dungeon Keeper)
Origin (Ultima, Wing Commander)
Westwood (Command & Conquer)
DreamWorks Interactive/Danger Close/EA Los Angeles (Medal of Honor)
Phenomic (SpellForce, BattleForge)
Black Box Games (Need for Speed, Skate.
Pandemic (The Saboteur)
PlayFish (The Sims Social)
NuFX (NBA Street).
It’s happened so we can’t change the future. Personally I hope it get better marketing and release window. I love titanfall 2 but it’s nearly impossible to get a game as so few are playing it which is a real shame
Another fine studio to be plundered by EA the lootbox b*stards.
Absolutely gutted by this news.
Titanfell
Titanfolded
Jesus Christ so much hate for EA...I'm gonna slowly fade away before someone beats me
SO how long until they kill these off then?
"Respawn, Respawn, what you gonna do, what you gonna do when EA come for you?"
@Gamer83
My thoughts exactly!!
RIP Respawn. I hope the team gets out before the inevitable end happens.
Ffs RIP Respawn and here was my hope they wouldn't sell, and Titanfall 3 will he flooded with micro transactions and I loved this series probably not now
b-b-but..TF3 sniffle..
@get2sammyb Maybe Zampella is rich... who knows, depends how one defines rich. Also, if you paid attention back in 2010, Zampella actually paid from his own pockets when starting the new studio Respawn and paying the wages for the employees the first couple of years or more while creating TF1. Also, Jason West was part of the deal when splitting with Activision, so Zampella didn’t get it all.
RIP Respawn, you shall be missed .
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