Gears of War
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A Gears of War live action movie and animated series are coming to Netflix
Netflix is making a Gears of War movie, and an animated series will come after.
'Gears 5' studio is moving to Unreal Engine 5 for 'next-gen development'
The Coalition says not to expect new game announcements anytime soon.
'Gears of War' boss Rod Fergusson leaves to take over 'Diablo'
After 15 years of working on Gears of War games, The Coalition studio head Rod Fergusson announced he's leaving the Microsoft franchise to join Blizzard Entertainment. Starting in March, he'll "oversee the Diablo franchise." Fergusson has been a part of every Gears game released so far, dating back to his role as a producer on the original -- check out his comments on updates to the "roadie run" in 2007 -- and he's been in charge ever since Microsoft acquired the franchise in 2014. His departure comes as Microsoft is expanding its ownership of development studios with new acquisitions like Ninja Theory and Obsidian, and considering different paths of distribution by pushing Xbox Game Pass and streaming. That directly impacts the Gears franchise, which is about to launch a PC-only tactics spin-off. Meanwhile, Blizzard recently revealed it's working on Diablo IV, which comes after many players had a negative response to news of the Diablo Immortal mobile game. We'll probably hear more about those games, and everything Microsoft has planned for the future of Gears, sooner rather than later.
'Gears 5' will add new modes and maps in its first six months
Now that Gears 5 is out the door, The Coalition and Microsoft are ready to preview what's next. They've outlined what you can expect in the first six months, and there shouldn't be a shortage of new material. The initial season ("Operation" in Gears speak) is starting off modestly with weekly Escape Hives and Supply Drop additions, but things will ramp up over the course of October with weekly Special Events and new characters. The spicier content, however, may wait until Operation 2's arrival in December.
'Gears Pop' brings cute combat to your phone on August 22nd
You won't have to wait until the September release of Gears 5 to get your Gears of War fix -- provided you're willing to pull out your phone. Microsoft has revealed that Gears Pop will reach Android and iOS on August 22nd following a limited "soft launch." As the name implies, this isn't the gritty cover shooter you know -- it's an overhead, predominantly multiplayer arena battler that has you pitting squads of Funko Pop-styled Gears characters against each other in real time. It's relentlessly cute, insofar as Marcus Fenix and Locust minions can be.
'Gears 5' multiplayer test starts July 19th
The Coalition and Microsoft have offered a peek at Gears 5's cooperative Escape mode, but how does its competitive gameplay fare? You might find out very shortly if you're committed to the franchise. The companies are launching a Multiplayer Technical Test for the cover-based shooter that will run for two weekends, July 19th through July 21st and July 26th through July 29th. It'll be available to download for Windows 10 PC and Xbox One owners starting July 17th.
I survived the new Escape mode in 'Gears 5'
I haven't played a Gears of War game since the original came out in 2006. It's no surprise, then, that I would be hesitant to grab an Xbox One controller and play the latest instalment of Microsoft's legendary franchise, Gears 5. But I did it, particularly because I wanted to check out Escape, a new co-op mode that you can play with three friends online or locally. Look, I'm a simple man: You tell me I can kill some aliens and I'm in.
'Gears 5' arrives on September 10th
The wait is almost over. After teasing Gears 5 at last year's E3, Microsoft has now revealed that its legendary title is coming to the Xbox and PC on September 10th. As we learned from the cinematic trailer that dropped at E3 2018, Gears 5 is "going back to where it all began," and it features a new female character who will join the one and only Marcus Fenix. Their mission? To discover the origins of the Locust Army, which of course means you're going to be smashing a lot of aliens along the way.
UK schools threaten to report parents who let their kids play 18+ games
If your child is playing 18-rated games such as Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto, you could be reported to the police and social services. That's the message being sent to parents by a group of primary and secondary schools in Cheshire. In a letter, the Nantwich Education Partnership has warned parents about the levels of violence and sexual content that are prevalent in mature games. It says regular exposure could lead to "early sexualised behaviour" and leave children "vulnerable to sexual exploitation or extreme violence." Some parents have already voiced their disapproval, but headteachers say they're merely following the guidance set by their local authority: "If your child is allowed to have inappropriate access to any game or associated product that is designated 18+, we are advised to contact the police and children's social care as this is deemed neglectful."
Rumor: Here's what a Kinect-powered Gears of War looked like
A Kinect-controlled RTS spinoff in Microsoft's Gears of War franchise made it to the prototyping stage on the Xbox 360 before it was quietly canceled, a newly released gameplay video at VGLeaks suggests. The video demonstrates motion-controlled gameplay presented from an overhead perspective. Players use gesture controls to target enemies as they guide a four-person team through destroyed urban environments, making use of environmental cover throughout. Given that Kinect 1.0's gesture recognition and response was sporadic even under the best conditions, an action-focused RTS seems like a poor fit for the peripheral. Apparently Microsoft and developer Epic Games agreed, as Gears of War: Tactics was never officially announced. The game's current development status is unknown. [Image: Microsoft / Epic Games / VGLeaks]
Gears dev: Hard data, human wisdom both vital to fine-tuning games
Data analysis is growing into a huge, more readily-available tool for game developers, but Epic Games Senior Designer Jim Brown delved into his studio's past struggles with data to warn GDC Europe attendees about misreading the swaths of information appearing on their screens. "You need to provide that context," Brown said, "which means that you need to have design skills, and in order to get the right answers, you need to ask the right questions."
Cole Train's voice actor contacted for next Gears of War
Black Tusk Studios is tinkering away at the Gears of War series' future, but Twitter activity from Augustus "Cole Train" Cole voice actor Lester Speight suggests the former hero might be involved in the action. Speight confirmed that he had been contacted regarding the next entry in the series, though what that initial contact will amount to, if anything, remains to be seen. For now, we'll have to reluctantly guard our hopes for hearing Cole's enthusiasm on the battlefield once more. The Gears series' Lancers have gone quiet since last year's Gears of War: Judgment, a prequel to Epic Games' trilogy that was co-developed by Epic Games Poland (formerly known as People Can Fly). Black Tusk hasn't offered a glimpse of its continuation yet, but we do know that Xbox Live's former director of policy and enforcement, Stephen Toulouse, has joined the team to serve as director of community engagement. [Image: Microsoft Studios]
Stephen Toulouse joins Black Tusk Studios' Gears of War team
Stephen Toulouse had worked with Microsoft for 17 consecutive years before he left in February 2012 for "complex and personal" reasons, eventually landing at third-party peripheral creator GAEMS in July of that year. A recent episode of the Major Nelson Radio podcast notes that Toulouse was at one point also at HBO Code Labs, with "was" serving as the key word: Toulouse has now left that position to serve as Black Tusk Studios' Director of Community Engagement for the Gears of War series. Toulouse explains his return a bit further on his blog, stressing that he's a "gamer first and foremost," and that Black Tusk's request to help with a series that Toulouse is personally passionate about was too good to pass up. Toulouse tweeted about his new title as well, describing his role on the team as "key in coordinating gamer feedback into future titles as well as keeping things fun and exciting with existing ones." If you think that's an open invitation to message Toulouse with your hopes for the Gear franchise, well ... it kind of is. Toulouse's blog asks fans to reach out to the Gears of War and Black Tusk Twitter accounts, or to his personal handle. Emails are also welcomed at stepto (at) stepto (dot) com. Whichever channel you use, Toulouse hopes to hear about "everything you like, dislike, want, don't want and hope for" concerning the Gears universe, and while he can't promise a response to every single one, Toulouse adds that "all thoughts will be entertained." [Image: Stephen Toulouse]
The Great E3 2014 Giveaway Week 3: 14 free Xbox 360 games
Ol' Red Eye, the Big Green, Master Chief's Love Nest; Xbox 360 has gone by many names over the years it's been with us. It's hard to believe that nearly a decade ago, we were staring at those early videos of Madden NFL 2006, our eyes refusing to believe what the first HD game console could pump out. Turned out our eyes were pretty smart, of course. Madden NFL 2006 definitively did not look like this on Xbox 360. Forget that false first impression, though. When E3 2005 kicked off, Xbox 360 came out swinging with announcements for Gears of War, Dead Rising, surprises like Hironobu Sakaguchi's duo of Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon, and a bombshell Grand Theft Auto IV announcement. Microsoft made a definitive statement that day: Xbox 360's here to play. The console went on to redefine the competitive landscape of the gaming business. Nine years later, Xbox 360 is riding out its last strong days as a major competitor heading into an E3 where its descendant, Xbox One, has much to prove. Let us ignore the fate of Xbox One in the third week of Joystiq's grand E3 2014 giveaway, and turn our heads back to the 360. Write to us at podcast@joystiq.com with the subject line "E3 2014 Giveaway Week 3" and tell us about a past E3 announcement for an Xbox 360 game that got you so pumped you decided to buy the console. The contest will close at 10AM EST on Monday, May 12. What 14 Xbox 360 games will one lucky winner get their hands on? The full list and contest rules after the jump.
Gears of War, Fable and Forza fair game for TV shows
Having announced its first lineup of Xbox Originals, a brand of exclusive television shows made for Xbox platforms, Microsoft is highlighting Gears of War, Fable and Forza Motorsport as potential sources slash victims of adaptation in the future. Speaking to press in San Francisco last week, Vice President of Xbox Entertainment Studios Jordan Levin named a few games that "most immediately come to mind" for a stint in television. Unlike the popular Halo series of first-person shooters, which is already confirmed for a television show and an upcoming feature, these projects are at a stage of "exploratory conversation" and may ultimately go nowhere. Games being explored so far include historical strategy game Age of Empires, zombie survival sim State of Decay, Forza Motorsport, the vibrant Fable series and bulky-men-vs-monsters shooter, Gears of War. If those exploratory conversations last long enough, there's a chance someone will see the potential in combining these intellectual properties into a filmed super-property. Who wouldn't watch a show about zombies overrunning the stone age, or a Ferrari F12 Berlinetta covered in chainsaws and driven by a man in a chicken suit? [Image: Microsoft]
Microsoft Studios acquires rights to Gears of War series
Microsoft Studios has purchased the rights to the Gears of War franchise from Epic Games, Microsoft announced. The publisher will take over all existing and future games in the series, and will hand development of future games over to Vancouver, BC developer Black Tusk Studios. Formerly Microsoft Vancouver, Black Tusk was said to be working on a new AAA game for Xbox One as of June 2013. Rod Fergusson, former Director of Production at Epic Games on the Gears of War franchise, is joining Microsoft and will play a "key studio leadership role" at Black Tusk. The last time we heard from Fergusson he was launching a new studio for 2K in the Bay Area; it would appear that relationship didn't work out. Each entry in the four-game Gears of War series was published by Microsoft since its introduction in November 2006. The last Epic-developed game in the series was Gears of War: Judgment, which launched in March 2013.
December Games with Gold freebies are Gears of War, Shoot Many Robots
Microsoft's Games with Gold program closes out 2013 with muscly shooter Gears of War (nope, no numbers at the end of that) and co-op run-and-gunner Shoot Many Robots. That means Gold members on Xbox 360 can download Gears of War for free between the 1st and 15th of December, then they can disembark the Cole Train and start to Shoot Many Robots on December 16, which stays free until the end of the year. Microsoft plans to continue the Games with Gold program on Xbox 360 as an "ongoing benefit," and is extending it to the Xbox One in 2014 on a monthly basis.
Epic auctions 3 signed Lancers to aid Insomniac intern after hit-and-run
Insomniac Games interning artist Ana Kessel recently lost her leg in a hit-and-run accident, and Epic Games has stepped up to help raise money for her medical bills. Epic is auctioning three signed replica Lancers from Gears of War on Ebay, with all proceeds going to Kessel's recovery fund. Epic has put up a replica original Lancer, a retro Lancer and a gold retro Lancer on Ebay, each signed. They'll be available for bidding through November 22. "All proceeds from this auction will be going to help with Ana Kessel's medical bills," the Lancer descriptions read. "She was an intern at Insomniac Games, a local video game company here in the triangle area, who was recently involved in a hit-and-run accident while on her scooter. She has been in the hospital since Monday, and had to have one of her legs amputated. Without having medical insurance, the financial burden will be immense, which is why I am auctioning off a few pieces of memorabilia from our video game."
Alien hordes join the fight in CoD: Ghosts' new Extinction mode
Gunning down zombies has grown a bit cliché, so to shake things up in Call of Duty: Ghosts the developers at Infinity Ward have decided to pit the near-future's most bankable soldiers against slathering extraterrestrial villains. Not unlike the Horde mode seen in Gears of War, the Extinction game type in Ghosts pits a team of one to four players against waves of fast, strong alien invaders. Activision's official description describes the mode as a "unique blend of fast-paced survival action, FPS base defense, scavenging and class leveling." Whether this new mode replaces the zombie battles fans have come to love in prior Call of Duty entries remains to be seen. Extinction is currently slated to launch alongside Call of Duty: Ghosts when that game debuts on November 5.
Halo: The Fall of Reach, Gears of War writer now at Amazon
Eric Nylund, author of Halo: The Fall of Reach and writer for both Gears of War and supplemental Halo: Reach materials, has revealed his new job as Director of Narrative Design at Amazon Game Studios. As Couch Campus reports, Nylund left Microsoft Games in July, but had said nothing about his new gig until a recent Facebook posting revealed a business card with "Amazon Game Studios" emblazoned on the front. "I can't talk about specifics," Nylund wrote. "But I wouldn't be there unless something cool was brewing." It's difficult to speculate on what this means for the future of Amazon, as the only Amazon Games Studio game in existence right now is Air Patriots, which isn't quite on the same level as the Halo and Gears franchises. It will be interesting to see if Nylund can expand Amazon's library beyond the typical mobile and casual games, and bring the type of blockbuster stories he's known for. Update: This article originally listed Eric Nylund as a writer on Halo: Reach. While technically true, Nylund's contributions were to physical, supplemental materials included in the game's various collector's editions, rather than the game itself. The text of this article has been updated to better reflect Nylund's contributions to the series and history as an author.
