Titanfall's non-map updates will be free

You'll need to pay for Titanfall's three map packs, but outside of those, all new features and game modes developer Respawn Entertainment introduces will be absolutely free. Game director Steve Fukuda made the announcement on the game's blog today. The game's first paid DLC, called Expedition, was announced during PAX East last weekend and will launch sometime in May.

It's not a terribly surprising bit of news, as other contemporary shooters like Call of Duty or Battlefield also do not charge for game updates or new modes. However, unlike Call of Duty and Battlefield, Titanfall does not have microtransactions.

Fukuda's announcement today was part of a wider blog post about what kind of support Titanfall players can expect going forward. He explained that Respawn aims to accelerate the "update tempo" for the game and also communicate better with fans about what is coming to the game and why.

Future Titanfall updates will introduce a variety of changes and tweaks, Fukuda said. First, he explained that Respawn's overall ambition for Titanfall is to "tend the garden and keep the weeds out." This means Respawn will implement minor tweaks and fixes to improve the overall "core health" of Titanfall.

Titanfall players can also look forward to new "convenience features" that are designed to improve the Titanfall user experience overall. One of these new features is the recently introduced Party Colors option, which allows you to more easily identify who is in your party. The next Titanfall update, Fukuda said, will introduce the ability to rename your custom loadout and to make custom loadouts specific to each game mode.

There are also "infrastructural features" coming to Titanfall. One example is the recent release of Private Matches, and future updates will bring more Private Match options, Fukuda said. Where possible, Respawn will first introduce these new changes in beta form, allowing the studio to gather feedback and tweak the game as needed based on responses from players.

Fukuda also teased the "competition-oriented" and "competitive spirit" features are coming to Titanfall in the future, though he didn't say more.

Finally, beyond new features for Titanfall, Fukuda said that Respawn plans to introduce a new Burn Card set, and Titan customization options like the Titan "Nose Art" insignias. New game modes and game mode variants are also in the works, Fukuda pointed out.

"Our plans for supporting Titanfall are simple. We'll keep you better informed between updates, and we'll deliver free updates to you on a regular basis," Fukuda said. "We are constantly tweaking our support plans in response to your feedback, and although we cannot promise everything requested will go through, we are listening. Thanks again for playing Titanfall, and keep the feedback coming!"