'Titanfall' Beta Coming Soon? Respawn Responds To Leaked Alpha Footage

Game developer Respawn Entertainment hasn’t “ruled out” releasing a public version of the coming “Titanfall.” The Sherman Oaks, Calif.-based company recently responded to leaked online footage of the alpha version of “Titanfall,” saying that what viewers saw didn’t represent the developer’s finished product.

"I know there is a lot of confusion over this right now," Respawn community manager Abbie Heppe stated on the Respawn forums last Friday. "We ARE NOT running a beta at the moment. We're doing some very limited technical testing." She also added that "we understand the desire for a beta and we have not ruled it out, but I don't have any news on it for you currently.” The alpha testing ended on Tuesday and showed a basic, stripped-down version of “Titanfall.” This isn't a build indicative of final product, which is why we're asking people to please refrain from posting," Heppe said.

"It's a small bite of the final game cause we're testing some tech, not gameplay,” Heppe posted about the game’s appearance. “I feel badly that a lot of sites posted it like anyone could sign up, which is not the case. We certainly don't want our community to feel left out. That said, I will keep you all posted about anything beta if we decide to do one!" Heppe also commented on the exclusivity of the test. "We try to keep it a manageable download and we're really only looking to test some technical stuff on the servers so we make a better game. I took some heat today over 'Why only North America?' and it's because we don't need every server around the world up [because] the amount of people is limited and that isn't what we're testing...and we're located in lovely (on fire) southern California and we need to be able to play in tests.”

Respawn Entertainment’s first-person shooter “Titanfall” will launch for the Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC in March. Last week, rumors of “Titanfall’s” alpha test were circulating online - invites were allegedly being emailed to EA Origin account holders, allowing them to register for an alpha version of the title. If selected, gamers would be given an exclusive trial code via email – the email also gave testers the start date of the test and instructions on how to join the game.

Shortly after, alpha footage of the title was leaked on various video sites. Though testers were explicitly forbidden to publicize videos or photos of the game, a number of clips showcasing “Titanfall” made it online. Some of the videos were promptly taken down by EA, but a small number remained, displaying the much-anticipated gameplay of the Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC title.

“Titanfall" will launch on March 11 in North America and two days later in Europe. The title has already won more than 60 awards at its E3 2013 premiere, including a record-breaking six E3 Critics Awards. “Titanfall” also won Best in Show awards from IGN, Destructoid and Game Informer.

In the game, players are able to fight on foot or as free-running pilots inside mech-style walkers called “Titans” to complete team missions and goals. The title is online multiplayer only, but it injects single-player elements such as plot, character interaction and non-player characters into its matches. Up to 12 players can participate at once.