Titanfall 2's Twitter Account Is Firing Shots at Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare [UPDATE]

[UPDATE] Titanfall 2 developer Respawn Entertainment has responded to the Titanfall Twitter account's jab at Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, noting that the @Respawn Twitter account "is the official voice of" the studio.

"We have nothing but respect and love for our fellow devs," the tweet continued.

Original story: November is a big month for shooters, with Battlefield 1, Titanfall 2, and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare battling for the attention, time, and hard-earned cash of gamers worldwide.

It seems the claws are out over at Respawn Entertainment and EA, as evidenced by a tweet that draws attention to a review describing Infinite Warfare's combat as "mostly slow and plodding."

The link included in the tweet redirects to IGN's Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare review and also quotes from the site's Titanfall 2 review, which says the game's energetic movement mechanics and shooting create "frantic precision" that is "electrifying." The tweet then invites readers to pick between the two games.

These kinds of Twitter jabs are common with large companies and video game developers, and often it's just a bit of friendly banter that's taken in stride. However, there's a history between Respawn and Infinity Ward, developers of Infinite Warfare, that gives this particular tweet a little more bite.

Respawn was founded by Jason West and Vince Zampella, who headed up Infinity Ward when it revolutionised the first-person shooter genre with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. They also worked on two Modern Warfare sequels that cemented Call of Duty as the premier shooter franchise.

Both West and Zampella were later fired by Call of Duty publisher Activision for "breaches of contract and insubordination," however. The pair went on to establish Respawn and develop Titanfall, which is published by EA.

With Battlefield 1 and Titanfall 2, EA has two of the three major shooters releasing during the holiday period. However, analysts Cowen & Company said Titanfall 2 sales are going to be "substantially disappointing." They could even be bad enough to offset how strong Battlefield 1 is expected to be.

It also questioned EA's decision to release both of its blockbuster shooters within a week of each other.

"We suspect EA believed that by launching two shooters next to Call of Duty it could put a large dent in its biggest competitor, but instead EA appears to have wound up shooting its own foot off," it said.

For its part, EA CEO Andrew Wilson previously said that Titanfall 2 and Battlefield 1 cater to different types of shooter players, giving EA broad coverage of the genre. During an earnings call on November 1, EA CEO Andrew Wilson was asked if he'd do things differently in the future and give its shooters more space, and reiterated this position.

"We think there's really three types of players," Wilson said. "People that really love Battlefield and that kind of big strategic gameplay that will orient in that direction; the player that loves the fast, fluid, kinetic gameplay of Titanfall 2 that really orient in that direction; and the player that just has to play the two greatest shooters this year and will buy both.

"And again, we're very very excited about the quality in both titles," he continued. "We believe they both will have a long sale cycle, both this quarter through the festive season and deep into the years to come."

During Activision's recent earnings call, CEO Eric Hirshberg said Infinite Warfare is not expected to sell as well as 2015's game, Call of Duty: Black Ops III. This, he said, was because Infinite Warfare is a new Call of Duty brand, while Black Ops is an established, best-selling one.

Titanfall 2 received a score of 9/10 in GameSpot's review. Critic Mike Mahardy concluded, "In many ways, Titanfall 2 feels like the game Respawn should have made in 2013. It's a fantastic sequel. It's a fluid shooter. It's a spectacular game."

In GameSpot Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare review, Miguel Concepcion awarded the game an 8/10.

"While no Call of Duty game has matched the comprehensive excellence of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the exploits of Reyes and Ethan are at least as memorable and moving as any deeds from "Soap" MacTavish and John Price during from the series' heyday," he said.