Titanfall Servers Hit Hard As Respawn And EA Drop Blockbuster Title In Hot

PC and Xbox gamers have been anxiously awaiting the release of Titanfall since it was unveiled last June, and that wait has finally come to an end. Publisher Electronic Arts (EA) and developer Respawn Entertainment released Titanfall to retail stores across North America today, which is notable for a few reasons.

The first is that it's an exclusive title to Xbox One consoles and Windows PCs, with a launch to Xbox 360 planned for March 25. This is one of those titles Microsoft hopes will help prop up and promote its Xbox One system, which currently trails Sony's PlayStation 4 in units shipped.

Titanfall Screenshot

Titanfall is also notable because it's strictly an online-only multiplayer game, which adds another exclusive notch to its belt. It's somewhat of a gamble to eschew a single-player experience in favor of online matches, but if you're going to do that, perhaps letting gamers live out their geek fantasy of manning these massive 24-foot titans that are both heavily armored and agile is the way to go.

"At Xbox we have a long history of bringing blockbuster multiplayer games to our fans that have redefined what it means to play games with friends and others around the world," said Yusuf Mehdi, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer, Devices and Studios at Microsoft. "Leveraging the power of Xbox One and in close collaboration with our partners at Respawn Entertainment and Electronic Arts, Titanfall is poised to be one of those breakthrough games that ignites the potential of this generation."

Titanfall Screenshot 2

Given the importance of Titanfall's launch on a number of levels, EA can ill-afford another SimCity scenario in which the servers weren't equipped to handle the demand. Nevertheless, Titanfall tripped out of the gate from its midnight launch, leading to some early complaints on Twitter.

"Midnight release and the game is unplayable? Disappointed. Why did I spend $60 on this game? #TitanFail," Twitter user @RyanLSittler posted.

That said, there's already been a patch to speed up the processor of entering private game lobbies. From what we can tell, it appears Respawn is on top of things.