An apparent leak of the cover of the next issue of Game Informer confirms one of the bigger pieces of news for this E3. As we'd reported last month, the next game from the people who made Call of Duty popular is an Xbox/Xbox One console exclusive. This is a big deal.


The game, called Titanfall, is being developed by top ex-Infinity Ward people at the new Respawn Entertainment.


NeoGAF user Cartman86 spotted the new issue on his Android device, grabbed the cover and started sharing info: "Xbox One and PC. With a 360 version being developed by someone else. Game uses cloud a bunch apparently." Apparently the game is slated for a spring 2014 release.

We didn't know about the PC version, but the reliance on the cloud and the fact that a non-Respawn studio is doing the 360 version match with our April report. We'd heard the game will require an online connection.

According to Cartman86's read of the issue, "Respawn will use the Xbox One's cloud-computing services to make the game run beyond the hardware's offline capabilities, utilizing the cloud for physics and AI calculations." Last month, Microsoft touted the system's optional cloud computing tech as a tool developers could use to make their games run better. Use of the cloud requires a persistent online connection. The Xbox 360 doesn't support this kind of thing, as far as we know, so that version would lack that enhanced performance.


The game runs on Valve's Source engine, a detail we also reported back in April. We'd been told it looks good but haven't seen it ourselves.

So what's the game about? Sci-fi multiplayer combat with agile, lethal mech suits. This is what we had last month:

The new game from Respawn is a futuristic multiplayer-centric online shooter, one of our sources says. The source describes the game as a battle of Davids and Goliaths. The Davids are heavily-armed foot soldiers. The Goliaths are the giant exosekeltons—Titans—that these soldiers can pilot. These Titans are big mech-style walkers that move with an agility not seen in games like Mechwarrior or Steel Battalions. To keep the action balanced, game maps limit the number of Titans that can be used in a skirmish. Weapon loadouts for the foot soldiers are designed to ensure that the characters on foot can take out the Titans if need be. The source who described the game does not work at Respawn, but their description tracks with the long-reported desire by the former Infinity Ward team to make a sci-fi shooter.


We've reached out to Game Informer and publisher EA for more comment on the game and its expected presence at E3.


UPDATE: An EA spokseperson says, "There’s a lot more of Titanfall to be revealed. Tune in to the EA E3 press conference on Monday June 10 at 1pm PDT for the details."