Yes I know that Freelancer thematically builds off of the end of the game. That’s usually how alternate universe works. It shares the background canon but splits off in different paths. I doubt Freelancer will ever be referenced in future games.
I can’t say I have definitive proof that I am right but I say the burden of proof is on those claiming it to be canon as there is no reason to assume a non-story driven game mode is anthing but it’s own little thing just like the now cancelled Ghost Mode or the never released Zombie Mode.
As for the ETs I’ll just refer to this comment I posted when I last discussed this with Heisenberg
“As for the contracts in the Data Facility cutscene I do not consider all of them to be canon but rather easter eggs and filler photos since they include The Washington Twins that were not sanction targets and ICA would have no knowledge of. You can also see Silvio Carusos brothers and that elusive contract was cancelled and never released and Richard Ekwensi appears twice.”