Respawn Entertainment is starting 2017 off right. Yesterday they announced new content; a brand new game mode, two maps to support it, and a Coliseum map called Columns.
The game mode, Live Fire, is a close-quarters, fast paced single elimination pilot-only fuckfest. Think Shipment from CoD 4, except you can double jump and use grappling hooks. There are no respawns, only best of five rounds. Players have merely a minute to eliminate each other or seize control of the neutral flag in the middle of the map. The two maps for the new mode, Stacks and Meadow, ensure the slaughter can be done quickly. In fact, Respawn describes them as “tight, enclosed death boxes designed specifically for the fast-paced, intense nature of the mode.”
Respawn is also showing that they’re listening to players in the right ways. Other FPS developers have made the mistake of thinking that their audience knows how to balance their weapons and such. Respawn, however, is giving faction commanders multiple new lines, updating the mode selection interface, and they also plan to allow players to create their own ‘mixtapes’, though there isn’t an indication that that will be in this update.
In Meta: This is some heartwarming decision making on the part of Respawn Entertainment. They’re showing that they care about their game remaining interesting to its fans rather than trying to reline their pockets. For that alone, these new updates are worth checking out.
