Microsoft has acquired the rights to release Gears of War products, including future games, from Epic Games. Responsibility for a new game in the series now rests with the development studio Black Tusk, founded by Microsoft itself.
It is unknown what amount Microsoft has paid for the rights. It is known that future Gears of War games will continue to use the Unreal engine. Also, Rod Fergusson, former Epic Games executive producer who worked on the first three titles in the series, will assist Black Tusk in the development of a new Gears game, Microsoft reports via its Xbox Wire.
With the acquisition, it’s almost certain that future Gears of War games will continue to be released exclusively for Xbox. In November last year, some game sites believed they could conclude from statements from Epic and Microsoft employees that a PlayStation 4 version was in development. More Gears of War-related announcements are coming later this year, Phil Spencer, vice president of Microsoft, told gaming website Polygon. Gears of War was one of the best-selling game series for the Xbox 360.
Gears of War isn’t the only Xbox 360 franchise to make the move to the Xbox One. Ruffian Games, the developer behind the Crackdown games, late on Twitter know to make an announcement very soon. There is a chance that this is a third game in the Crackdown series.