Respawn Entertainment recently announced a new partnership with Asian free-to-play game publisher Nexon. One of Nexon’s more recent hits on mobile platforms was DomiNations, by Big Huge Games.
The new mobile games will be developed by Particle City, originally named Nuclear Division. The developer is co-founded by Respawn chief executive Vince Zampella. He also said in a recent interview that he expects the first mobile title to release on iOS and Android in 2016. Nexon will also develop a PC-based free-to-play Titanfall game, made alongside Respawn and Electronic Arts, which could also release in 2016.
“I don’t know if this is the way of the future, as it is obviously here now,” Zampella said in the interview. “Mobile devices are connected and accessible. That’s the big thing, the accessibility. I have been looking at it for a while, and I want to make the right move with the right partners.” He also confirmed that the first mobile game will not be a first-person shooter, and will take gameplay “in a new direction”.
Mobile platforms are a lucrative enterprise for game developers and publishers large and small. It has become the largest global games market, with roughly $30 billion dollars in revenue for 2015. Titanfall, which released last spring, was lauded by critics and sold decently, but community support quickly waned. This could be because of the game’s exclusivity to Xbox One and EA’s Origin PC client, although that won’t be a problem for Titanfall 2, since it is expected to also hit PlayStation 4.
The first Titanfall mobile game is expected to drop in 2016.
