Summary
In the last few years, connected universes seem to have become all the rage. While crossovers are nothing all that new to the entertainment industry, with popular horror icons having clashed together for decades, it’s definitely become more prevalent in the last decade or so, and that’s mainly due to the extreme popularity ofthe Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now, a shared universe is a common element across entertainment, with even video games likeTitanfallhaving a universe connected across multiple games.
BothTitanfallandTitanfall 2had some pretty great world-building, featuring a ton of unique factions, a good handful of interesting characters, and a general outline of what Sci-Fi shenanigans were plaguing the galaxy. Then, in early 2019,Apex Legendstook that world-building a bit further, expanding on the universe’s factions and lore in a different setting. But ifthe heavily rumoredTitanfall 3ends up being reality, it has the potential to take this world-building to the next level, just like Remedy Entertainment did withControl.
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Titanfall 3 Should Lean All the Way Into its Connected Universe Just Like Control Did
Remedy Entertainment has had a long history of putting Easter eggs and references in its games, some of which have referenced popular movies and TV shows, and some of which have referenced the studio’s own past projects. ThefirstAlan Wake, for instance, had a ton of Easter eggs in store, with a handful being not-so-subtle references to Remedy’s originalMax Payneseries. But while these were just harmless, fun references,Controltook things to the next level.
Heavily inspired by supernatural thrillers likeTwin Peaks,Controlsees players make their way through the titular Federal Bureau of Control as they face off against a number of strange Sci-Fi threats. Along the way, they’ll learn that the FBC is in charge of covering up phenomena known as Altered World Events, shortened to AWEs. DuringControl, players can find a piece of in-universe documentation that states that the events ofAlan Wakeactually occurred in the same universe asControl, and is listed as one of these AWEs. This was further expanded on intheControlAWE DLC, where Alan Wake himself is seen in the Dark Place, and it’s widely assumed that fans will see some sort of connection toControlin the upcomingAlan Wake 2.
Though it hasn’t resulted in any major payoff just yet, the Remedy Connected Universe is off to an intriguing start, and it lays a great groundwork for future Remedy titles, a groundwork thatTitanfallitself also has access to. The connection betweenTitanfallandApex Legendsisn’t too major in its current form. While there’s some crossover with factions, weapons, and a character or two, they’re both pretty self-contained. Further, much like other live-service multiplayer games,Apex’s story isn’t really at the forefront of the experience, so there are many fans that probably don’t even know the two series are directly connected.
If the rumors about a potentialTitanfall 3are true, then it has the perfect opportunity to really double down on this hot concept of a connected universe, just likeControldid a few years ago. There are quite a few different ways in whichTitanfall 3could achieve this, but the easiest would probably be the inclusion of characters that cross between both games. WhileTitanfall 3could see an iconicApex Legendscharacter appear during its campaign,Apexcould see a brand-newTitanfall 3hero come to the battle royale, firmly connecting the two games.
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