Titanfall Sci-fi Multiplayer Shooter to Go Free-to-Play

It's no surprise that Titanfall, the sci-fi multiplayer shooter from the team behind Call of Duty did well enough to warrant a sequel. What is surprising though, is that a free-to-play version for PC is in the works.

Titanfall creators Respawn, along with the game's publisher, Electronic Arts (EA), are partnering with Nexon, the company responsible for the hit massively multiplayer online RPG (MMORPG) Maple Story and FIFA Online to make this happen.

(Also see: In Defence of Games With In-App Purchases)

"With its pilot vs. titan gameplay, among other innovations, Titanfall is a uniquely intense game experience. We look forward to working with the talented teams at Respawn and EA and leveraging Nexon's free-to-play expertise to deliver a new and engaging online game based on Titanfall to the Asian market," said Owen Mahoney, President and Chief Executive Officer of Nexon in a prepared statement.

Keep in mind though that Nexon, EA, and Respawn plan to keep the free-to-play game exclusive to Asia. Much like Microsoft's stab at free-to-play with Halo being a Russia exclusive, the business model seems to lend itself well to markets that aren't perceived to be strongholds of conventional gaming.

(Also see: Halo Online Free-to-Play Multiplayer Launched for PC)

Given Nexon's track record in the free-to-play space and EA's relationship with them that yielded free-to-play versions of FIFA, partnering with the Japan-based company seems like an obvious move. No release date has been set for this yet.