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Long read: The beauty and drama of video games and their clouds

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Titanfall 2 is having a moment on Steam

It's fun to stay at the IMC, ey?

Titanfall 2, rather famously, didn't receive the sort of attention it deserved when it released in October 2016. Sandwiched between blockbuster shooters Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, it failed to see success in the sales department - despite receiving plenty of praise from critics. But it currently seems to be experiencing a revival on Steam, thanks to both Apex Legends and a Steam sale.

Titanfall 2 first arrived on Steam in June last year, and in that month saw a peak player count of 13,427 players (via Steam Charts). By March 2021, that monthly peak had dropped to 2,913, but in the last couple of weeks player numbers have been steadily increasing - and in the last 24 hours it hit a new record of 16,958.

Apex Legends Stories from the Outlands - 'Northstar'Watch on YouTube

One of the reasons for this surge in popularity is that Titanfall 2 is currently discounted on Steam, with a 75 per cent discount meaning you can pick up the game for £6.24. Yet that isn't the only factor at play here: the new season for Apex Legends features a hefty amount of Titanfall 2 lore, particularly in the background story for new legend Valkyrie. It seems likely this has prompted some of Apex Legends' considerable player base to try their hand at Titanfall 2. (Apex Legends is also doing pretty well on Steam right now, with 109,257 people playing at time of writing - placing it fourth in Steam's most-played games list.)

More news about the new Apex Legends season is due to arrive later today, hopefully detailing exactly what those teasers about Arenas and going "beyond battle royale" really mean.