'Titanfall' Release Date Nearing: Why Xbox 360 Launch Will Be Delayed

Sorry, Xbox fans. Upcoming first-person shooter “Titanfall’s” beta will be closed. On Feb. 5, Respawn founder Vince Zampella confirmed that the beta wouldn’t be open via Twitter. “I never said open, I only said codes,” the 44 year-old developer stated.

Respawn Entertainment still hasn’t announced a date for the beta testing, although there is speculation it may be this Valentine’s Day. According to French publication Xboxygen on Jan. 27, a retailer sourced hinted a beta date may be coming mid-February. The beta is only available for the Xbox One and PS4, not the Xbox 360.

The beta version will allegedly run from Feb 14 to the 19 and will be available exclusively from Zappos in France and GameStop in the US. “Titanfall” ads were also displayed on the French site, clearly showing the beta’s launch date.

In January, invites to test Respawn Entertainment’s upcoming first-person shooter “Titanfall” were reportedly being sent out to EA Origin account holders, asking them to opt in for the title’s alpha.

On Jan. 21, alpha footage of “Titanfall” 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 only four days after the rumored alpha appeared. Some of the videos were promptly taken down by EA, but a small number remained, displaying much-anticipated “Titanfall” gameplay.

On Jan. 22, Respawn Entertainment’s community manager Abbie Heppe responded to the leaked footage, saying "I know there is a lot of confusion over this right now, but 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, Jan. 22 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!" On Jan. 28, Zampella confirmed a “Titanfall” beta via Twitter. "#supersecret announcement time. I'm sure no one has been able to guess from the leaks. PC and XboxOne Beta! Details in the coming days,” tweeted Zampella. He also revealed that “Titanfall” on Xbox 360 would be developed by Bluepoint Games, the Austin, Texas based developer of 2002’s “Metroid Prime,” a remastered version of 2011’s “The Ico and Shadow of the Colossus Collection,” and 2009’s remastered “God of War Collection” for the PS3. It’s likely there won’t be a beta for the Xbox 360 version of "Titanfall."

EA also announced yesterday that the Xbox 360 version of “Titanfall” will be delayed until March 25. EA claimed the delay was needed so developer Bluepoint Games could have more time to “put the finishing touches on the game.” Strategic move by Microsoft to move more next-gen Xbox Ones off the shelf?

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