Titanfall 3 was apparently in development for nearly a year before it got canceled. The supposed sequel to Titanfall 2 didn't see the light of day despite rumors that it was in active development. Even Respawn Entertainment's CEO Vince Zampella wanted the third installment to happen someday.
Back in 2020, EA seemed to tease that Titanfall 3 was coming. There were also reports that Respawn was already working on the game. But as years went by, both Respawn and EA stopped giving updates about Titanfall 3, leading fans to believe that it probably wasn't coming out. This was also around the same time that Apex Legends, which is also connected to the Titanfall universe, became increasingly popular, and Respawn seemed to be more focused on the battle royale title.
Now, Titanfall fans got an explanation on what happened to the third game. Speaking to THE BURNETTWORK on YouTube, former Respawn designer Mohammad Alavi, who worked on games like Titanfall and Call of Duty, confirmed that Respawn was working on Titanfall 3 for 10 months before it was canceled. The main reason was because PUBG was starting to gain traction, and Respawn's multiplayer team was having a hard time trying to fix Titanfall 2's multiplayer mode. Alavi also admitted that the player base for the mode was dwindling, so one day they decided to pivot and "cancel Titanfall 3 ourselves" to start creating their own battle royale map with Titanfall-inspired classes. He didn't mention the title of the game outright, but one could assume that he was talking about Apex Legends, which came out in 2019.
Additionally, Alavi said that Respawn used new tech to develop Titanfall 3. Although he said it wasn't going to be a revolutionary game, he claimed that it would be "incrementally better" than the previous game. Speaking further about the cancelation, Alavi said that he will always miss having a Titanfall as he considered the second game his "crowning achievement." But he also admitted that pivoting was the right call since Apex Legends continues to be a highly successful battle royale game.
Today, millions of players globally are playing Apex Legends, and getting familiar with its characters' unique abilities. Although there might still be hope for Respawn and EA to come out with another Titanfall, many fans seem to be lowering their expectations, especially after EA reportedly canceled a single-player Apex Legends or Titanfall game.
Titanfall 3 was in development.