Gears of War
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Is Epic hiring devs for a Gears of War MMO?
GamesRadar reports that Epic has posted a job listing related to "an unannounced competitive online action game." Senior Systems Designer is the official position title, and it apparently requires someone with "a passion for building and/or playing shooters, MMOs, RPGs, or RTS games." Epic is advertising for one of two projects. The first is a tower defense title called Fortnite, while the other is an unnamed game that "includes player progression, heavy itemization, and a dynamic economy." GamesRadar notes that its Gears of War speculation is just that, but we have to admit that it sounds both plausible and interesting.
Variety: Gears of War movie script back in the works
The ethereal Gears of War movie is back in the headlines, with Variety reporting that producer Scott Stuber has signed on with the project. There's still no writer or distributor attached, but Stuber will work with his own studio, called Bluegrass Films, and Epic Games to develop a script and finance the project. Universal Studios currently has first look rights to whatever he can come up with.Stuber has produced a number of big-budget films, including Battleship, Ted, and the upcoming 47 Ronin. A movie based on Gears of War was originally set for a release in 2010, but that project allegedly fell apart due to "creative differences."
Free for All: The continued standardization of selling power
Selling power is a much quieter controversy than it used to be. I've been in gaming long enough to remember when selling anything desirable at all was taboo. At the same time, it's always been OK to sell some things like subscriptions or special boxed editions, proving that MMO gamers and others are brilliant at segmenting their rage. If it's a cool, special box with a neat virtual item inside, it somehow does not fall under the same umbrella as selling powerful, useful items in game. I think it does. But geeks in general are good at justifying poor behavior if they get what they want; just ask the hackers and file-swappers. Still, it doesn't matter how we feel about selling power because the industry is already moving in the direction of selling power, lots of power. EA recently announced that every title it produces from now on will feature microtransactions. While that doesn't guarantee the sale of powerful items, I can promise that it will include some. This train ain't stopping. Sure, the console community seems a bit late to the party when it comes to the power-selling controversy, but that's likely because of MMOs' always-on multiplayer mode.
The Astronauts and Ethan Carter steer away from 'mammoth-sized' games
The Astronauts are working on an eerie, macabre, non-combat game called The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, and while we're still not sure exactly what it is, one thing is certain – it's not AAA. After founding People Can Fly, working on Bulletstorm and Gears of War, and leaving to start an indie studio, designer Adrian Chmielarz says AAA games have lost their appeal."We're no longer excited by mammoth-sized games," Chmielarz tells Games Industry International. "We're still very interested in high quality, but now and in the future we want to focus on smaller projects."The Vanishing of Ethan Carter will involve death and murder, but won't feature any shooting. It's a game of discovery, similar to Dear Esther, but with more corpses, as Chmielarz describes. Horror is thriving on the indie scene, he says, and he hopes Ethan Carter shows that video games can offer a broader range of experiences. But if no one understands this approach and the game bombs, The Astronauts may need to come back to Earth."If we don't slip, we'll have just enough money for this first project, and then it's sink or float," Chmielarz says. "Kickstarter was tempting, sure, whether we like it or not it's a great marketing tool and gives your project that extra visibility boost. But we think that Kickstarter should only be used by those studios for which there's just no other way without losing their freedom. We're just old-fashioned this way."The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is due out on PC this year.
Gears of War: Judgment leaks online, Microsoft warns of account bans
Gears of War: Judgment has reportedly leaked to torrent sites on the web a full month before the game's March 19 release date. "We are aware of isolated cases in which 'Gears of War: Judgment' content has been propped on the Web and are working closely with our security teams and law enforcement to address the situation immediately," a Microsoft spokesperson told Joystiq.It's unclear just how finished the pirated version of the game is. According to Eurogamer, the copy of the game leaked is "apparently complete.""Consumers should be aware that piracy is illegal and we take vigorous action against illegal activity related to our products and services. Playing pirated copies of games, such as 'Gears of War: Judgment,' is a violation of the Xbox LIVE Terms of Use and will result in enforcement action, such as account and console bans," Microsoft added.
Gears of War art director: 'It's tough to justify' a female lead character
In a macho, Power Thirst-inspired market, it's difficult to sell a game with a female protagonist, Epic Games art director Chris Perna tells OXM."If you look at what sells, it's tough to justify something like that," Perna says.Epic's Gears of War series features supporting female characters that Perna describes as "butch," rather than a stereotypical portrayal of feminine beauty in an action game."You see the implants and the blonde hair and pants and you roll your eyes – it's almost like the game geek's idealization of what a woman should be. I think because we didn't go that route we have more believability." Perna continues, "They're still feminine. Anya in Gears 3 comes across as being very feminine, and I think it works."Perna says player feedback supports his theory, in the form of female players dressing up as Gears of War characters at conventions and shows."They feel empowered," he says. "They put on that armor and they walk around with these massive weapons and I think they get a kick out of it – I get a kick out of seeing it. From what we've heard, when they play the game they feel empowered and they feel good. Some of the feedback I've heard from women that I talk to is that if we'd made these women more feminine and more stereotypical it wouldn't have been so nice."
Pre-order Gears of War: Judgment at Walmart, get Gears 2 or 3 for free
Those who purchase Gears of War: Judgment will score a copy of the original Gears of War gratis, this much we know; however, Walmart is further sweetening the deal for those who pre-order through the retailer by offering Gears of War 2 or Gears of War 3 free as well.If you're on the fence, a public demo of the new OverRun mode will be made available to Xbox Live Gold subscribers on March 19, but that just so happens to also be the launch date for Gears of War: Judgment – so that won't be much help for your decision. If you want to score the additional two free games and included Classic Hammerburst skin from Walmart, you're going to have to pre-order before then.
Gears of War franchise surpasses 19 million sales
The Gears of War franchise has boomed to over 19 million sales, up a further million from the last figure disclosed back in July. Microsoft revealed the new milestone to us today.The publisher wouldn't confirm Gears of War 3's sales figures to us, but we know the game surpassed 3 million in its first week at retail. Back in June 2011, former Epic design director Cliff Bleszinski told IndustryGamers the Gears 3 sales target was "definitely over 6 million," with the interview noting Gears 1 & 2 combined sales being over 12 million. This is only speculation, but today's reveal suggests Gears 3 is nearing if not already over its target.
Cliff Bleszinski quits Epic Games, leaves us with an Unreal feeling
Fall must be the season for sea changes in the game industry. Just weeks after BioWare's founders retired, key Epic Games veteran and Design Director Cliff Bleszinski (known to many as just CliffyB) is hanging up his hat. He simply describes it as taking a "much needed break," which makes sense when you see his development experience: he joined Epic's crew with Dare to Dream Volume One in 1993 and has nurtured virtually every major (and often minor) game franchise at the company since, including the Jazz Jackrabbit platformers, untold numbers of games in the Unreal line and most recently the Gears of War series. Bleszinski hasn't said where he's headed next, although it's hard to imagine him switching professions like the two BioWare doctors -- for many, he's synonymous with certain eras of first- and third-person shooters. Wherever he goes, we wish him the best of success.
NVIDIA, Epic Games bringing Unreal Engine 3 to Windows 8 and Windows RT (video)
NVIDIA and Epic Games have successfully ported the full PC version of Unreal Engine 3 to both Windows 8 and, more importantly, Windows RT. Demonstrating the achievement on a Tegra 3-powered ASUS Vivo Tab RT, it played a buttery-smooth version of Epic Citadel, suggesting that developers of both PC and Xbox games should have no problem in bringing them over to the new operating system. It also casually mentioned that both Gears of War and Mass Effect were built on the engine, heavily implying that we could see titles of that caliber coming to Microsoft's low-power OS once it makes it debut on October 26th, but we'll let you decide for yourself after the break.
Gears of War: Judgment's Free-For-All mode playable this week at PAX Prime
The "Free-For-All" mode coming to Gears of War: Judgment will be playable at this weekend's PAX Prime show in Seattle. As you can tell by the name, the mode is essentially a full deathmatch, pitting each player against everyone else in a race for most kills. The PAX demo will offer two new maps as well: Gondola features a series of apartments in the Agora foothills, with players fighting it out on various balconies and yards in a luxury living community; while Library is a huge archival building set in the Gears universe, featuring austere hallways and what are sure to be plenty of lore references to the setting of the game. We'll definitely play through both this weekend at PAX, and you'll be able to play them yourself when the game arrives on March 19 next year.
Epic shares Gears of War insight and trivia at Comic-Con panel
Cliff Bleszinski, Design Director at Epic Games, along with Production Director Rod Fergusson, voice actor Fred Tatasciore (the voice of Baird as well as "most of the Locusts") and writers Rob Auten and Tom Bissell all took the stage at Comic-Con 2012 for a panel about Gears of War: Judgment. The biggest piece of news out of the panel was that Judgment has a release date: We'll be killing grubs as Baird in the prequel on March 19.The rest of the panel, however, contained a few juicy bits of Gears trivia, just for fans of the series. If you've lived and died with the COGs for three games now, read on.
Epic Games: Infinity Blade on iOS more profitable by the pound than any other game we've made
Traditional console makers have often sworn up and down that mobile doesn't make money for game development. That might still be true for some developers, but you'll get a very different answer if you ask Epic Games. Co-founders Tim Sweeney and Mark Rein have collectively described the currently iOS-only, Chair-developed Infinity Blade as the "most profitable game we've ever made" when considering the amount of money and time invested relative to the money coming back. Yes, that includes even the Gears of War series, which most consider Epic's primary cash cow. Sweeney, like his long-time competitor Johh Carmack at id Software, is also taken aback by the power stuffed inside the latest generation of mobile devices -- a 2012 iPad is nearer the performance of a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, he tells Gamasutra, and the pace is only picking up. Even more insights await in the interview with Sweeney; click below if you want a hint of what one of gaming's pioneers has to say about where your tablets, phones and (yes) PCs are going.
Gears of War: Judgment gameplay trailer smirks in the face of danger
If we've learned anything from the very first gameplay video of Gears of War: Judgment, it's that subterranean creatures are still super gross, and shooting them into gooey pieces still looks remarkably satisfying. In fact, everything about this video looks exceptionally Gears of Wars-y, although Epic Game's director of development Rod Fergusson maintains that Judgment is less scripted than previous entries in the series.The game's new asymmetric, class-based multiplayer mode, dubbed Overrun, is also showcased, as are its defensively oriented COG soldiers and offensively focused Locust grubs.
Gears of War: Judgment outed, looks like a prequel
Looks like Game Informer couldn't wait until Monday for the full reveal. The cover images for Gears of War: Judgment have been revealed, each depicting Damon Baird and Augustus "Cole Train" Cole in handcuffs, seemingly being escorted away from the battlefield by some COG soldiers. We're assuming this is a prequel because, dang, both these guys look young.Look for the full unveiling on Monday, June 4 at 12:30PM ET/ 9:30AM PT during Microsoft's E3 press conference. Mantle past the break for the Baird cover.
Next Gears of War graces Game Informer cover, full reveal Monday
The next installment in the Gears of War franchise will be the cover of the July issue of Game Informer. The final name and cover art won't be revealed until next Monday, during Microsoft's E3 press conference.
Epic Games gives away soundtrack retrospective for 20th anniversary
Epic Games has turned 20 years old, and to celebrate the company is giving away a free album of tunes from its games over the past two decades. You can pick up the tracks from the official blog right now. The set includes everything from the Main Theme of Unreal and the Menu Song of Jazz Jackrabbit, all the way up to tracks from Infinity Blade 2 and Gears of War 3.And what, you might ask, did they include as a bonus track? Perhaps the pinnacle of Epic Games' musical gifts to the world at large? It's the Cole Train Rap from the first Gears of War, of course. Woo baby! Bring it on sucka! Etc.
Gears of War 3 'Forces of Nature' DLC emerges March 27
Here we were thinking the battle for humanity was wrapped up in the Gears of War universe and Epic Games goes and ruins our celebration with new downloadable content! Revealed on GTTV tonight [via Side Mission], the "Forces of Nature" DLC will add three new maps to Gears of War 3 dubbed Aftermath, Artillery, and Cove along with two returning locales, Jacinto and Raven Down.Revealed by Epic executive produce Rod Fergusson, each map is described as taking place in the middle of or in the aftermath of a natural disaster. Gears of War 3 'Season Pass' holders will get the content free when it launches on March 27. No price was established for the DLC, but previous multiplayer DLC was made available for 800MS Points ($10).In addition to the maps, the DLC includes four character models, three of which were previously available as a pre-order bonus (seen after the break); five new weapon skins for immediate use; and two skins only unlockable via the Forces of Nature content. It's a good thing we didn't bronze our Lancers, because it looks like more grubs need killing.
People Can Fly doing Gears of War prequel trilogy 'a likely scenario,' says OXM
Here we are, roughly six years into the "next-generation" lifecycle and we're seeing the third installments of major franchises. In a one-year period, we'll see Resistance 3, Modern Warfare 3, Uncharted 3, Mass Effect 3, Assassin's Creed: Revolution (sort of), and Gears of War 3. And while not all of these episodes represent the end of a considered story arc, Epic Games hasn't been shy about calling Gears of War 3 the end of the line for Dom and crew. Which raises the question: Who will handle the lucrative Gears franchise going forward? "Gears of War will live on, of course, but in what form?" the latest issue of Official Xbox Magazine posits, via CVG, before suggesting "a prequel trilogy developed by Epic-owned People Can Fly (Bulletstorm) as a likely scenario." With Bulletstorm failing to reach profitability (and presumably failing the basic litmus test for being franchised), People Can Fly will be looking for something to work on. With three Gears titles under their belts, the core North Carolina-based Epic team may be eager to move onto greener pastures. For now, they're working on RAAM's Shadow, the first piece of campaign DLC in the Gears trilogy, and notably a prequel. Sounds like a nice way to hand things off, doesn't it?
LEGO Lancer is a ludicrous, life-size labor of love
We've been known to have a bit of a penchant for LEGO ourselves, but the kits we snap together usually come with diagramed instructions and have more to do with fanciful medieval castles than brutal alien slaughter, and they sure as hell aren't life-size, functional engineering marvels. PlumBrothers' 1:1 scale Lancer is one of the most impressive LEGO builds we've seen in a long, long time, partly due to its aesthetically accurate construction, but mostly because of the boggling amount of engineering that went into this thing. Not only is it a working rubber-band gun, but the weapon's rubber payload is loaded into working clips. Once the safety (!!) is disabled, the user has their choice of single or burst firing modes at their disposal. The chainsaw even moves and everything. Screw gold, plastic is the new hotness.
