Titanfall - maybe the best reason to buy an Xbox One - coming March 2014

The Microsoft-exclusive shooter Titanfall for Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Windows PCs will go on sale in March 2014 in the US and Europe, developer Respawn Entertainment and EA have confirmed.

The all-action, humans-vs-robots shooter from some of the key players behind the Call of Duty franchise has generated huge excitement since it was revealed during Microsoft's keynote at E3 in June.

It has been earmarked as one of the key difference makers in the Xbox One vs PS4 battle and will hit stores on March 11 in the US. Europeans and Australians will have to wait until March 14.

Respawn and EA are also offering a collector's edition, which comes complete with an 18-inch Titan statue and 190-page hardcover art book. That'll set you back $250 (AU$400, about £153) though.

Spring 2014: It gets real

The game joins a slew of eagerly-anticipated next-gen titles that have been earmarked for launch in spring 2014, or have been delayed until after the initial launch window is over.

Titanfall wasn't scheduled as a launch day title for the Xbox One, but another new AAA franchise generating plenty of excitement, Ubisoft's Watch Dogs, has been pushed until the winter months are over. The PlayStation-exclusive racer Drive Club has also slipped to 2014.

Could this affect the demand for an Xbox One or a PS4 heading into the Christmas period? Is spring 2014 the time when folks should really be jumping aboard the next-gen hardware bandwagon?

We don't have very long to wait as both consoles launch next month.

Via Major Nelson