Titanfall 2 Receives First Major Update In Years, Apex Patch Notes Easter Egg May Be Related

It's been a rough couple of years for Titanfall 2 players, but it looks like that may be about to change. After years of minimal upkeep and no new content, the game is finally getting some much-needed TLC with the release of a new game update. As this is first major update the game has received in quite a long time, observant fans are getting the distinct sense that something is up--especially after a Titanfall Easter egg was discovered in Apex Legends patch notes that were released earlier this week.

The update itself includes fixes to matchmaking and improved server stability, making Titanfall 2 playable for the first time in years. Additionally, after eight years, Titanfall 2 private matches have been taken out of beta (which isn't too shocking, as Apex Legends players gained access to the private match feature earlier this year). New and old game modes have been added as well, and have been rotating ever since the update went live last week. The 1v1 Coliseum mode got a similar update, with new weapons added and weapon loadouts rotating regularly once again. Changes to map geometry, fixed glitches, and remedied out-of-bounds exploits have also been addressed by the massive update, but perhaps the most interesting map feature is the addition of small Nessie plushies (Apex's mascot) holding hammers, which have appeared in areas of the maps that were recently fixed. This may be a reference to Respawn's recent announcement revealing devs had banned over 2,000 cheaters from Apex Legends. With Titanfall 2's servers finally functional again, it's possible that some players also received a whack from the banhammer.

Until last week's update, Titanfall 2 was more or less unplayable, and has been since 2021 due to relentless DDOS attacks by frustrated players of the original Titanfall game. Respawn failed to fully stabilize the game, and many fans were frustrated to learn that Respawn had assigned only "one or two" devs to oversee the game and keep it in a playable state, especially since the DDOS attacks on Apex Legends (which started at the same time as the attacks on Titanfall 2) were resolved in under 24 hours.

Respawn has also sent mixed messages regarding the franchise's future, hinting at future Titanfall content in one breath, then claiming players wouldn't be seeing Titanfall 3 anytime soon. Then came reports that the studio was working on a single-player game set in the Apex Legends universe (the same universe in which the Titanfall series is set). Unfortunately, those reports were then followed by the news that the game, code-named Titanfall Legends, had been canceled.

Players were obviously disappointed by the cancellation of Titanfall Legends, and while this Titanfall 2 update certainly doesn't confirm we'll be seeing Titanfall 3 anytime soon, the fact that Titanfall 2 is currently available on Steam at a massive 90% discount does seem to imply that Respawn is trying to drum up more interest in its recently resurrected mech shooter. The appearance of Nessie in Titanfall 2 also suggests that Respawn is paying more attention to the franchise--and its connection to Apex Legends. Tucked away the very bottom of Apex's Harbinger Collection Event patch notes is a curious Easter egg that makes Nessie's sudden appearance in Titanfall 2 seem a bit more significant:

"Incoming Transmission…. Subject: Nessie….

1394521200

1477638000

1549267200"

It didn't take Twitter sleuths long to decode the message, revealing that the trio of strange numerical codes represent the release dates of Titanfall, Titanfall 2, and Apex Legends, perhaps hinting that something new is on the horizon. But what could it be? Prolific Apex Legends dataminer Kralrindo has an interesting take:

Several months ago, Apex's in-game stat trackers changed. Instead of simply saying "Wins" or "Damage," trackers now say "Apex Wins" and "Apex Damage." Perhaps Respawn is leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for players to follow that will ultimately lead to some sort of Apex Legends/Titanfall crossover. What exactly that crossover would look like is anyone's guess, but one thing is certain: Respawn hasn't given up on the Titanfall universe.