Since 2010, there is a new AAA games studio in town. Is it new though? Not really… The members of that studio are used to doing AAA games and took the chance to start over. This idea is so deeply anchored in the studio’s DNA that it is even in its name: Respawn Entertainment. It is also possible to find this idea in their games: Titanfall, Apex Legends and even Jedi: Fallen Order lately. One could argue that every one of these games has been created with the same mantra in mind: Disappear and Respawn.
Disappear
The story begins in 2002 with the creation of Infinity Ward, an Activision video game studio. In 2007, after the critically acclaimed Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Jason West and Vince Zampella, the two studio leaders, take advantage of the situation to renegotiate their contract with Activision. Thus, they gain bonuses and creative control over the Call Of Duty franchise, as long as Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is released in 2009. Activision signs the contract, adding a clause to the latter: creative control would return to Activision in the event of the pair leaving Infinity Ward. Activision would have then tried to trigger this clause to take control back on the franchise. In the meantime, West and Zampella tried to make their studio more independent. In March 2010, the pair is fired due to “breaches of contract” and “insubordination”.
Respawn
In April 2010, West and Zampella found a new studio and are quickly joined by their former colleagues, with financial support coming from the EA Partners program. Respawn Entertainment is born. To avoid past mistakes, West and Zampella keep all rights on whatever is created by the studio. Just one year later at E3 2011, EA announces Respawn’s future game: a First Person Shooter (FPS) Science-Fiction oriented. Blurry images from the game then start appearing on the studio’s brand new website. Two years later, in June 2013 at E3 once again, Respawn unveils its brand new game: Titanfall!
The Titanfall series
Titanfall is released in March 2014 as a multiplayer-only game. It features new movement mechanics, such as double jumping, ziplining and wall-riding. The maps are made to match those novelties, introducing a lot of verticality and allowing players to outspeed their opponents. Of course, the main festivity is none other than the Titans! Players fight as “Pilots”, each one linked to a Titan. Once they scored enough points, Pilots can call their Titan to come on the battlefield. They can then board it and gain a lot of firepower and protection, but they will lose lots of mobility. When taking too much damage, the Titan’s reactor core starts overheating. Pilots have a short notice to eject before the titan explodes… Disappear and Respawn.
In March 2015, Respawn shares that their next game, Titanfall 2, will be released at the end of October 2016. The game carries on what Titanfall created while adding more personalisation options for both Pilots and Titans as well as a brand new solo campaign, the one players wanted in the first game. Even if the campaign is short, it is well written and tells the story of Titan BT-7274, one we would very much like to see again in a potential Titanfall 3!
The birth of Apex Legends
Then, the studio enters a quiet period. However, there are plenty of announcements about the studio’s future. On May the 4th of 2016, the Star Wars Day, Respawn reveals they are working on a third-person Star Wars game. At the end of 2017, EA acquires Respawn Entertainment. In October 2017, it is known that the studio is working on a Virtual Reality (VR) FPS. In 2019, we get confirmation it is Medal Of Honor: Above and Beyond.
Players will have to wait until the start of 2019. The main trend of recent years has been Battle Royale. Competitors are dropped, alone or as teams, in a delimited area. This area slowly shrinks to force multiple confrontations and the winners are the last ones standing. If you are not lucky, you will quickly end up fighting with a stick against a heavy machine gun… Chances of survival are pretty slim. On a positive note, the sooner your game ends, the faster you can start a new one… Disappear and Respawn.
At the beginning of 2019, the genre’s big names are H1Z1, PUBG and Fortnite. So it seems unlikely to see another new Battle Royale make its appearance…
But not impossible! On February the 4th of 2019, a YouTube livestream broadcasts a brand new Battle Royale. A link redirects to the EA Store where Apex Legends is already available! The game release is a full-on success and Apex gets to the charts’ top. The aggressive marketing with streamers and YouTubers also helps to maintain players’ focus on the game upon release. The game has a lot in common with Titanfall games: weapons, ships, art style or even characters’ look, Pathfinder being the perfect example. Whether you like the game or not, Respawn made a huge gamble upon releasing their game this way!
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
The game was first announced in 2016, but there was little information about it. Then, at E3 2018, Vince Zampella shares the game’s name as well as some hints about the game’s story. Wait you will have to, Star Wars Celebration 2019 follow you will and the game’s trailer discover you will! Released in November 2019, the game is quickly another success along with other Respawn’s projects. It takes inspiration from games such as Batman: Arkham Asylum, Dark Souls for the combat system and offers a “Metroidvania” progression system. Combats are difficult and nervous — even if it is not as hard as a Souls Like — and story progression encourages you to come back where you have already been to discover new areas and complete secondary quests. The main storyline takes place in between episode 3 (Revenge of the Sith) and 4 (A New Hope) and follows Cal Kestis, a former Jedi Padawan. His character development is similar to the one of Ashoka in The Clone Wars, coming back to the genuine Jedi ways. During these trying times, Jedi have gone missing and the last ones standing are tracked down by the Empire. The Force, which gives Jedi their powers, is not yet lost. New individuals with a strong connection to the Force will emerge and will need to be trained to rebuild the Jedi order.
Disappear and Respawn.
This game provides a strong and well-integrated story into the Star Wars canon. A challenging task, but one Respawn’s teams handled masterfully.
On their 10th anniversary, Respawn Entertainment opened a new studio in Vancouver, Canada, focused on the development of Apex Legends. They also published a video of their 10-year impact on videogames. So, will you keep an eye on new Respawn’s releases?
