????《泰坦隕落》(Titanfall)是2014年最值得期待的游戲之一。截至2013年年底，這款游戲已經獲得了200,000套前期訂貨量。無論對于出版商美國藝電(Electronic Arts)和初創開發商重生娛樂工作室(Respawn Entertainment)，還是對于微軟公司(Microsoft)來說，這都是一個好消息。微軟擁有這款第一人稱科幻射擊游戲的獨家發行權，即將推出這款游戲的PC、Xbox One和Xbox 360版本。

????大多數前期訂單（約150,000套）預定的都是Xbox One版本，進而使得《泰坦隕落》成為一個殺手級應用。微軟在下一代游戲硬件的戰斗中一直在追趕索尼公司(Sony)的PlayStation 4。

????“《泰坦隕落》的開發團隊在業界享有盛譽，擁有這樣一款重量級游戲的獨家發行權對微軟意義重大，”Newzoo研究公司總裁彼得?沃曼說。“游戲玩家期待《泰坦隕落》能夠在Xbox One上充分展現它在圖形和游戲體驗方面的潛力。”沃曼補充說，《泰坦隕落》也將與微軟的硬件結合在一起，其中包括它的限量版品牌控制器及多種游戲和硬件包。

????韋德布什證券公司(Wedbush Securities)視頻游戲業分析師邁克爾?帕切特說，與微軟的交易其實讓美國藝電放棄了一些潛在收益。他預測，這款游戲的PC、Xbox One和Xbox 360版本有望在全球賣出800萬到1,000萬套。但如果借助索尼游戲機發行的話，它的跨平臺銷量可能會超過1,200萬到1,500萬套。

????“選在春季推出這款游戲的確夠精明，因為這個時候大型游戲發布市場恰好處在一個間歇期，《俠盜獵車手5》(Grand Theft Auto V )已經推出了足夠長一段時間了，而此時距離美國動視(Activision)發布下一部《使命召喚》( Call of Duty)還早著呢，”帕切特說。“它將有助于銷售。游戲業媒體，在一定程度上還包括游戲界，都對重生娛樂工作室偏愛有加，因為他們非常認可這幫打造出《使命召喚：現代戰爭》(Call of Duty Modern Warfare)的家伙。”

????雖然從技術角度來看，重生娛樂是一家初創開發商，但這支由文斯?贊佩拉和杰森?韋斯特組建的團隊包括了他們以前的工作室Infinity Ward的主要成員。曾經開發出《使命召喚：現代戰爭》系列游戲的Infinity Ward于2002年被美國動視收購。《使命召喚：現代戰爭3》是韋斯特和贊佩拉在Infinity Ward指導開發的最后一款游戲，同時也是《使命召喚》系列游戲最成功的一部，游戲玩家給了它最高評級，它的全球銷量也突破了3,000萬套大關。

????“真正的游戲愛好者都知道重生娛樂是誰，而在更多的休閑玩家看來，在與美國動視進行的戰爭中，Infinity Ward是好人，”沃曼說。他所說的戰爭，指的是美國動視與韋斯特和贊佩拉之間多起最終在庭外和解的訴訟案。（美國動視向Infinity Ward的前員工和現員工總共支付了4,200萬美元。）“這些人知道如何打造一款世界領先的游戲產品，如何維系玩家的忠誠度，把這些人招至麾下不啻為一個巨大的資產。重生娛樂是游戲業潮流的引領者，而不是跟隨者。”

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????Titanfall is one of the most anticipated games of 2014. By the end of 2013, the game already had 200,000 pre-orders. That's good news for publisher Electronic Arts (EA) and startup developer Respawn Entertainment. It's also great news for Microsoft (MSFT), which has the exclusive for this sci-fi first-person shooter that will ship across PC, Xbox One, and Xbox 360.

????The majority of those pre-orders (approximately 150,000) were for the Xbox One version of the game, which makes Titanfall a killer app as Microsoft tries to keep up with Sony's (SNE) PlayStation 4 in the next-gen hardware battle.

????"To have a huge new franchise like Titanfall developed by a team of the most-respected game developers as an exclusive is huge for Microsoft," said Peter Warman, president of research firm Newzoo. "Gamers are expecting Titanfall to showcase the potential of the Xbox One in terms of graphics and the gameplay experience." Warman adds that Titanfall is integrating with Microsoft hardware as well, with limited-edition branded controllers and a variety of game and hardware bundles.

????Michael Pachter, video game analyst at Wedbush Securities, says Electronic Arts is leaving some money on the table with the Microsoft exclusive. He forecasts the game will sell 8 to 10 million units worldwide across Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC. But if the game was released cross-platform on Sony consoles, sales would exceed 12 to 15 million units.

????"The spring launch is smart, since it comes right when there is a lull in big game releases, and it's long enough after GTA V [Grand Theft Auto] and long enough before Activision's (ATVI) Destinyand next Call of Duty," said Pachter. "That should help sales. The gaming press, and to some extent, the gaming community, loves Respawn as they recognize these guys made Call of Duty Modern Warfare."

????Although Respawn is technically a startup developer, the team that Vince Zampella and Jason West formed includes key members from their previous studio, Infinity Ward. That studio, which was acquired by Activision in 2002, created the Call of Duty Modern Warfare franchise. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, the last game developed under the creative direction of West and Zampella, was the most successful Call of Duty ever, with the highest rating by gamers and sales of over 30 million copies worldwide for Activision.

????"True game enthusiasts know who Respawn is, and for more casual gamers Infinity Ward were the good guys in the fight with Activision," said Warman, referring to the multiple lawsuits that were filed between Activision and West and Zampella that were settled out of court. (Activision paid current and former Infinity Ward employees a total of $42 million.) "Having people on board that know how to build a world-leading franchise and maintain gamer loyalty is an enormous asset. Respawn sets trends rather than following them."