Marcus Fenix and the rest of the Gears have a new home...at Microsoft Studios.
In an announcement that shook the gaming world this morning, Microsoft Studios revealed that it had acquired the rights for the Gears of War franchise from Epic Games.
Microsoft Studios also shared that unseasoned developer Black Tusk Studios (formerly Microsoft Vancouver) would be in charge of the next Gears of War game. This would be pretty alarming for fans of the franchise if it weren't for the fact that "Rod Fergusson, former Director of Production at Epic Games on the Gears of War franchise, will join Microsoft and play a key studio leadership role at Black Tusk on the development of the franchise going forward."
What followed was a Q & A with Phil Spencer, Head of Microsoft Studios, Hanno Lemke, General Manager of Black Tusk Studios at Microsoft Studios, and Rod Fergusson about the big news.
When asked why Black Tusk Studios had been chosen to spearhead the new game, Spencer said, "Black Tusk has assembled a world-class team with deep experience and passion for the shooter space, and specifically the Gears of War franchise. I am extremely confident that under the leadership of Hanno Lemke, Rod Fergusson and our other leaders in the studio, Black Tusk is well equipped to take on the future development of the Gears of War franchise."
Epic remains a close partner with Microsoft. The studio will even help Black Tusk with the transition by working on the Unreal Engine for the next game.
Microsoft did not mention what Epic would be working on next. We can only guess it's a brand new IP.
For more updates on this and more, stay tuned at Den of Geek!
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