A surprise update to the mostly dormant 2016 PS4-era shooter Titanfall 2 has certain fans of the series abuzz with the idea that it portends…something…pertaining to a possible third chapter in the highly regarded mech shooter series. The update certainly contains some interesting stuff, including references to the number three if you’re willing to go that far. It’s weird for sure, but take a dose of skeptic juice as we break it all down.

Read More: Report: EA Cancels Joint Apex Legends And Titanfall Game

Originally released in 2016, Titanfall 2’s wall-running, mech-piloting first-person shooter action added a much needed (and very, very good) single-player campaign to the series’ already excellent multiplayer action. But given that the game launched between a Battlefield and a Call of Duty, Titanfall didn’t enjoy enough time in the spotlight before the larger shooters stole its thunder. Still, fans have continued to stand by in hope that Respawn Entertainment might see fit to create a third chapter. But while Respawn’s very successful battle royale Apex Legends takes place in Titanfall’s universe, the last seven-ish years have been mostly quiet on the Titanfall front, and when there is news, it’s usually sad. Well, that’s changed a bit in the last couple of days.

Titanfall 2 gets a surprise update with a strange reference

A bit of excitement broke out among Titanfall 2 fans after a patch that hit the game about a week ago, mostly with fixes to matchmaking, which is not terribly unusual even for older games.

Then folks noticed the patch notes for the most recent update to Apex Legends contained three sets of numbers, with each of them translating to the release dates for the first Titanfall, its sequel, and Apex Legends.

It didn’t end there. Respawn added a new game type to Titanfall 2’s multiplayer this past Monday, September 18. A game type selection that hadn’t changed for several years now featured a new mode icon accompanied with three question marks, “???”

The new multiplayer mode, which pits players against one another equipped with all-you-can-fire rockets, also contains an interesting description:

Your rockets will blot out the sun.

As folks have pointed out, that phrase is strikingly close to a quote from the 2007 movie 300—a movie whose title begins with the number three.

Titanfall conspiracy theories begin to brew

Ravenous for a follow-up to Titanfall 2, fans have taken to scouring the internet to figure out if there’s any other weird stuff going on and, well, since they want to see evidence of something going on in the Titanfall space, folks sure are finding it. In particular, some unlisted YouTube videos and social media activity from Vince Zampella, head of Respawn Entertainment, are catching attention.

Whether said in jest or as serious “evidence”, we need to splash a bit of cold water on some of this. Yes, while it is true that the channel has some unlisted videos (as many have pointed out) Archive.org’s Wayback Machine indicates that they’ve been there for years now. Further detective work has revealed that these unlisted videos are for old Titanfall 2 trailers. So, nothingburger on that front.

In addition, Vince Zampella randomly liking a post that advocates for a future Titanfall game is hardly surprising. Zampella has publicly stated that he’d “love to see” a future game in the wall-runny, mech-stompy franchise.

Excitement in Titanfall 2 resurges

All of this has caused a bit of a surge in Titanfall 2 interest. The game is once again trending on social media.

While Titanfall 2 hasn’t broken into even the top 25 most-played games on Steam, it has seen an uptick in player count, breaching 25k active players most recently.

Kotaku has reached out to Respawn and EA for comment.

Titanfall 2 has maintained an adoring, though small, fanbase since its release. Hope for a follow-up now matches the fervor surrounding many other much-desired yet AWOL video game sequels. And while I welcome a new multiplayer mode in Titanfall 2, what I really want is an update that kills the damn EA launcher and lets you use 4K without editing the .ini file. A girl can dream.

Microsoft appears to be cracking down on third-party peripherals for its consoles. Players are reporting getting error messages when they try to use certain off-brand controllers on Xbox Series X/S, with the accompanying text telling them them that the devices are not authorized and will no longer usable come mid-November. The major policy change is sparking a loud outcry from various gaming communities, including fighting game players who often use third-party fight sticks for high-level competitions.

The upcoming change was first reported last week over on WindowsCentral. An Xbox One user reported getting an 0x82d60002 error code when trying to use her existing off-brand Xbox controller. “A connected accessory is not authorized,” a console warning read. “Using unauthorized accessories compromises your gaming experience. For this reason, the unauthorized accessory will be blocked from use on 11/12/2023.”

A similar warning was reported by accessory maker Brook Gaming, which specializes in fighting boards and steering wheel adapters. “Recently, we have received player feedback concerning these products when used on Xbox consoles (the latest OS version 10.0.25398.2266 released on 10/16) during online gameplay,” the company tweeted on October 20. “We deeply regret any inconvenience this may cause you.”

As many players have pointed out, this new policy could be one way that Microsoft is attempting to crack down on manufacturers of XIM and Cronus Zen adapters which help players modify their controller inputs to cheat in popular online shooters like Call of Duty: Warzone 2 and Rainbow Six Siege. At the same time, the blanket ban will also mean that lots of cheaper off-brand controllers and custom gaming accessories will no longer work on Xbox.

“Heyo [Phil Spencer, Xbox, Matt Booty] This is essentially a death sentence for local fighting game events that run on Xbox, much less, others that can only afford one arcade stick,” fighting game content creator and expert Maximilian Dood tweeted on October 29 as the news spread. “The Brookgamingfans converters are not cheat devices. They’re a huge boon to the FGC. Please reconsider!”

The biggest question about the new restrictions is whether peripheral makers will be able to apply to become authorized suppliers, or if the ban will remain in place for anyone who doesn’t have a branded deal with Xbox. That would mean companies paying Microsoft for authorization, potentially increasing the costs of the devices themselves or forcing some manufacturers to stop making devices for Xbox entirely.

This is the situation that’s already in place on PlayStation and it’s a huge drag. The PS5 only supports officially licensed controllers and accessories, of which there are very few. Most are also quite pricey. The result has been a near-total lockdown that gives players few alternatives to Sony’s DualSense. Microsoft now seems to be heading in the same unfortuante direction.

Update 10/30/2023 12:04 p.m. ET: A spokesperson for Microsoft confirmed the ban will soon go into effect and said it’s for “performance, security, and safety.” “Microsoft and other licensed Xbox hardware partners’ accessories are designed and manufactured with quality standards for performance, security, and safety,” they wrote in a statement. “Unauthorized accessories can compromise the gaming experience on Xbox consoles (Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S.) Players may receive a pop-up warning that their accessory is unauthorized. Eventually, the unauthorized accessory will be blocked from use to preserve the console gaming experience.”

The full list of of supported devices going forward is available on Microsoft’s website.