5 GAMES THAT NEED TO BE MADE - Apex/Titanfall
(This new article series “Games that need to be made” is where I pitch 5 games that need to be made in a particular franchise, company, genre etc... If you enjoy and want more of these lists let me know in the comments on social media! Tell us which of these 5 was your favorite)
For the second installment in my new article series "5 Games that need to be made" where I pitch 5 games that I want to be seen in a certain game universe, genre, or made by a certain studio; I selected one of my favorite game universe, the Apex Legends / Titanfall universe. So far we have gotten 3 games in the universe and they are all absolutely 10/10 phenomenal. The universe is bursting with amazing characters, gorgeous locations, and the possibility of amazing stories and games.
I am a huge fan of the universe, and we here at Game Infinite loved it so much it was the inspiration for our first GI Channel, Apex Infinite. From there you can find daily Apex Legends cosplay, fan art, clips, and news!
5. Apex Heroes
Platform: iOS, Nintendo Switch, PC
Price: Free to Play
Apex Heroes is a top down, twinstick shooter / MOBA. I picture a camera perspective similar to that of League of Legends or Heroes of the Storm. I want the controls to be streamlined for console as well as PC, with a healthy balance of a twin-stick narrative shooter or more traditional moba controls. While this easily could be a narrative game, I picture it being a MOBA. It would be free to play, with cross play and cross progression on PC, Mobile, and Console. I realize that EA tried a mobile Titan game that failed; however, they now have the success of Apex's branding as well as the benefit of the Legends.
There’s an opportunity for really great monetization done right. It could feature a character link/discount system where players link their ea account and characters purchased in Apex Legends would either be unlocked in Apex Heroes. They could even have the skins sync across the two games. It would save on content creation across the game, and incentivize purchases where you unlock the character/skin in two places.
Apex Heroes would featured all of the legends from Apex Legends with their abilities in a similar way to how Heroes of the Storm features some Overwatch characters. Another great advantage to Heroes is it would be a great way to bridge the Titanfall universe. Jack Cooper could be a playable hero from Titanfall 2. This would be an easy way to also have Titans alongside Legends in Apex Heroes. Players could be escorting Titans as tank characters or Titans walking alongside grunts and even bring back the Tiks (small robotic mines from Titanfall). Titans could alternatively be actual playable characters in a more tank like fashion.
I feel like the universe of Titanfall/Apex is perfect for a top down MOBA. It would be different enough to not compete directly, but similar enough to attract the loyal fan base.
4. Apex Rift
Platform: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X
Price: $59.99
Titanfall 2 had an absolutely phenomenal campaign, one far far too few enjoyed because of awful release timing on the part of EA. Titanfall 2 was impeded by a close release to Battlefield and Call of Duty. However, it had one of the best campaigns of modern shooters. It had it for many reasons, but one of the biggest was thanks to an absolutely phenomenal level. There is a level in Titanfall 2 that I offer as being one of the greatest levels in modern gaming. In fact, if you just google “that titanfall level” you get at least 4 articles talking about the level, “Cause and Effect”.
I have gone back to Titanfall 2 on several occasions simiply just to play “Cause and Effect”. I have said for years, I want an entire game based on the mechanics in “Cause and Effect”, and that is exactly what I want “Apex Rift” to be. To be honest, it could be titled “Titanfall Rift” or have the mechanics used heavily in a “Titanfall 3” but I called it “Apex Rift” because (1.) The Apex branding has more marketing weight now thanks to Apex Legends, and (2.) I don’t want Titans in this, I want an entire game just based on “Cause and Effect”.
What is “Cause and Effect”? It is quite simply one of the best instances of Time Travel implemented into gaming. The level takes largely place in two separate time periods, simultaneously in the same place, and the player is largely free to switch back and forth. When the player lands, they land at a base where it is clearly post some disaster. It is deserted except for dangerous wildlife. However, a device you recover allows you to travel into the past, back when the base is fully functional. What makes this very interesting is how it affects traversal. There are moments, where you need to quickly jump between time periods in order to traverse. Like dropping down an air vent, and flipping back and forth to avoid functional fans in one time period, or dangerous fires in another. This concept allows for passage ways that are completely impossible to traverse in only one time period. This mechanic also really had and cool impact on combat. Imagine having to fight two sets of enemies in two different time periods. You can use the changing time periods to your advantage, to appear to teleport around your enemies. You can also use it to relocate yourself and attach from other angles. While in one way an advantage, it is also a disadvantage, because you are fighting two sets of enemies, and have to remember where the other batch of enemies are in the other timeline when you jump back. It’s really hard to describe, but it’s just absolutely phenomenal. To this day it is in my top 10 gaming moments.
Apex Legends, has given us glimpses to other really cool potential mind-bending game mechanics, with characters like Wraith. She can shift to another dimension, where she receives clues from alternate universe versions of herself. She is notified of enemies, and paths to her objective. Plus, we have seen massive implication of portals in the Apex time period.
Can you just imagine, a narrative that includes time travel, portals, and alternate universes? We could get a game with the absolutely phenomenal combat of the Titanfall/Apex games, with an absolutely mind-twisted campaign something like Bioshock Infinite. Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart, has been pitched to us as a next gen game that uses next-gen SSD’s to deliver ultra fast world differences via portals; and it makes me wonder what I pitch a 12-20 hour single player experience, where players go on an epic time travel, portal, multiverse traversing adventure. I think it could feature Wraith as the main character or at the very least, a cameo.
3. Apex Legends: LOBA
Platform: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PS4, PS5
Price: $39.99
Loba is by far my favorite character in Apex Legends. While I have others I main as well like Mirage or Gibraltar, she is my favorite. Her move set is just incredibly fun. I love teleportation mechanics, and hers are done very well. She is also supposed to be the world’s best thief in the Apex/Titanfall universe. For this pitch, I suggest a stealth based “thief” style game with inspiration from games like Dishonored or Thief. I imagine a first person game would be easier to utilize existing animations and assets. However, I think it would be awesome to see more games adapt multiple perspectives that can be flipped live in game, giving a third person mode.
I think a stealth / thief focused game would be a really interesting change of pace for the very fast high octane action of the Apex/Titanfall universe. I want to go on elaborate heists in tall futurist buildings as we explore more of the Apex/Titanfall Universe. Loba is a beloved character, with easily some of the most fan art in the community. I could easily see her being the star of her own game. She also has probably the most “gaming-esque” motivation with her revenge against a robot for murdering her parents. If there was ever a more video game motivation I don’t know what is.
2. Apex Legends: Campaign
Platform: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Mobile
Price: $19.99
I have a pitch behind two games where I feel like Apex Legends characters would be or could be the main protagonist, but what I also really really would like to see would be a full story mode for Apex Legends. This is similar to how fans of Overwatch have been asking for an actual campaign for 5 years now, and we still haven’t gotten much yet. I know that Respawn has experimented with storys via their animated shorts and the “quests”, but I and I’m the sure the community, want a full campaign! I envision a 6-12 hour experience, where we follow story lines of at least 2-3 Legends, with the rest of the Legends serving as side characters or cameos. It could be a narrative about the origin of the games, or some type of conspiracy admist the games. This would be a lengthy game with entire new maps, that would require monetization. I am thinking it coupd be integrated into Apex Legends menu, very similar to how Fortnite separates Battle Royale and Save the World.
I pitch that it could be a 20-40$ stand-alone expansion. It could even be bundled with Apex coins, and Apex Legends becomes a multiplayer mode alongside a paid campaign. Apex Legends has made over a Billion dollars since launch, and has a massive active player base. They have an active live service game that would be free easy marketing for it. I think investing a small team for a glorified paid “DLC” would be a smart move for the Apex brand.
1. Titanfall 3
Platform: PC, Xbox Series X, PS5
Price: $59.99
There was only one option for the number 1 pick; and that is non other than Titanfall 3. Quick history lesson, Titanfall 3 was in fact, in early development, when EA basically had respawn shift development to what would become Apex Legends. The battleroyale phenomenon was and still is massively popular. While I love that the Battle Royale craze lead us to get Apex Legends, now that 2 years have passed, it’s time to return to making Titanfall 3 still happen.
I doubt, I actually need to convince the community; anyone who loves Titanfall wants a sequel. I think EA is the one who needs to be convinced on how this could be successful.
Now, you may ask, how does this differ from the “apex campaign pitch”? Well it differs in 3 main ways. This is a full price AAA experince, where as that would be a stand-alone expansion with just a story. This would have both a campaign and multiplayer component. Also, Apex’s campaign would center on a story with the Legends, this continues the story of Jack Cooper and BT from Titanfall 2.
Now, If I were to pitch this to EA, and something I imagine they are asking themselves, is how do you make Titanfall 3, another game with large multiplayer component, without cannibalizing player counts and (more importantly to EA) sales from Apex Legends. How to do you use Titanfall 3 to increase total revenue instead of hurt it. Now we as players may not care, but it’s a question that needs to be answered in order to get EA motivated enough to allow Titanfall 3 to exist.
I have a solution, and take inspiration from Call of Duty Modern Warfare and Warzone. Activision had to come up with a strategy not to split the player base when launching a free to play “stand-alone” Battle Royale only months after their main line release. They’re solution was to make a Warzone a stand-alone expansion that is also a glorified “mode” in Modern Warfare. The game can be separate or together. In fact, the strategy worked so well, that they did it again by having 2021’s Cold War become the third game linked in this strategy.
I propose that the opposite path could be done for Titanfall 3. It would be a 60$ full AAA release that is connected to Apex Legends in the same way Modern Warfare connects to Warzone. When you boot up either game first, the other is shown in a main menu option screen. Today when you load the game, you see Modern Warfare, Warzone, and Cold War. It’s strategy that is working for Activision, and I think could work for EA.
When you open up Apex Legends, you will be met by a new menu that shows Apex Legends on one side, and on the otherside Titanfall 3.
Much like my pitch for “Apex Legends campaign” The two games could share skins, coins, and even a unified battlepass. Also like my pitch for the campaign for Apex Legends campaign, you could have Titanfall 3’s campaign have cameos or levels with Legends fighting along side Jack Cooper and BT. Another way this could be cross promoted is soon after launch, Jack Cooper could be added as a Legend in Apex Legends. Thos who preorder Titanfall 3 could recieve him free in Apex Legends. The multiplayer modes in Titanfall are very different enough that they can co-exist with the battle royale mode of Apex in the same way Warzone co-exists with Call of Duty’s multiplayer. We could also see a new smaller map that is in rotation for both Titanfall 3 and Apex Legends. There could be a Titanfall LTE in Apex Legends leading up to launch of TF3 where titans drop in the map like care packages as an enemy PVE element where a squad must work togehter to take it down and score legendary loot similar to Bloodhound’s town take over several seasons back.
This strategy of cross promotion makes so much sense for Titanfall 3 that I pray to god I hope someone at Respawn is pitching this to EA. Titanfall 3 sits near the very top of all the games I want to exist, not just for this universe but of all games.
