Gears of War franchise acquired by Microsoft StudiosMicrosoft has acquired the Gears of War franchise from Epic Games insuring that Gears of War will remain a Microsoft exclusive franchise.

Written by Brandon Hofer on January 27, 2014

News: Microsoft has acquired the Gears of War franchise from Epic Games insuring that Gears of War will remain a Microsoft exclusive franchise.

Gears of War has been an extremely successful franchise for Microsoft over the course of the Xbox 360’s generation. Well, it looks like that will continue on Xbox One as well as Microsoft has just revealed they have acquired the rights to the Gears of War franchise. Even though it was always an Xbox 360 exclusive, Gears of War was owned by Epic. There has been a lot of speculation over the past few months that with a new generation upon us that we would perhaps see Gears of War show up at some point on a PlayStation system. Today’s news effectively silences those rumors. In addition, Microsoft has revealed that Black Tusk Studios in Vancouver, BC will take over development for the Gears of War franchise and 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.

Xbox Wire has posted an interview with Phil Spencer, Head of Microsoft Studios, Hanno Lemke who is the General Manager of Black Tusk Studios at Microsoft Studios and Rod Fergusson about this big news:

Why did Microsoft purchase the “Gears of War” franchise?

Phil Spencer: It all comes back to our commitment to Xbox fans. The “Gears of War” franchise has a very strong, passionate and valued fan base on Xbox. Over twenty-two million units have been sold across all “Gears of War” titles worldwide, grossing over $1B dollars (US). This franchise, and these fans, are part of the soul of Xbox. By acquiring this franchise, Microsoft Studios will continue to offer them more of their favorite games and entertainment experiences from the “Gears of War” universe.

Why did Epic Games agree to this acquistion?

Hanno Lemke: Epic has been a tremendous partner to work with, and it has been a privilege for Microsoft to be Epic’s publishing partner and work together to achieve the phenomenal success of the “Gears of War” games. Epic remains great partners and good friends of Microsoft Studios. In fact we will collaborate closely with Epic to ensure the inclusion of the Unreal Engine technology into the “Gears of War” franchise going forward remains consistent with the high quality fans have come to expect from the franchise.

Why was an as-yet-unproven studio like Black Tusk chosen to lead the “Gears of War” development over a more established studio?

Phil Spencer: 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.

Are there any plans to bring anyone who worked on previous “Gears of War” games onboard to work on the future of the series?

Hanno Lemke: The news that Rod Fergusson is joining Black Tusk should be really exciting for fans of the franchise. Rod has played a leadership role at Epic on all of the “Gears of Wars” games, he understands the franchise deeply but equally importantly he understands the fans of the franchise – what they love, where they want to see the franchise evolve. Once the news spreads about the opportunities at Black Tusk, I’m confident we’ll see interest from a number of talented developers who share the same passion for the “Gears” franchise as the developers at Black Tusk.

When can we expect to hear more about the plans for the “Gears of War” franchise?

Hanno Lemke: We hope to be able to share more news about “Gears of War” later this year.

You’re moving back to Canada and back to working on the “Gears” franchise. Is it like a homecoming for you?

Rod Fergusson: I’m extremely excited to be joining Black Tusk Studios to oversee development on the “Gears of War” franchise. I’ve been privileged to work on a lot of great games with a lot of great teams, but “Gears” has had the most impact on me professionally and personally, so this really feels like a homecoming. I can’t wait to share more with you all soon.

In addition to those comments from Phil Spencer, Hanno Lemke and Rod Fergusson, Epic Games has also released a statement:

“Epic Games has reached an agreement to sell the ‘Gears of War’ intellectual property rights to Microsoft. We’re very proud of the franchise we built in close partnership with Microsoft over the past decade and are happy that this agreement enables Microsoft to forge ahead with the ‘Gears’ universe on their industry-leading platforms as Epic concentrates its efforts on new projects,” said Epic founder and CEO Tim Sweeney. “Epic remains totally dedicated to supporting Xbox One and is licensing the Unreal Engine 4 technology to Microsoft in support of their future projects.”

A couple of months ago IGN had an interview with Phil Spencer where he wouldn’t commit to there being another game in the Gears of War franchise. This announcement obviously serves as notice that not only is Gears of War moving forward, there is a title in development right now. With Mr. Lemke saying he will be able to share more news about it later this year, it seems like E3 would be the perfect place to do it.

Presumably the new Gears of War will be Xbox One exclusive so where would you like the franchise to go? Do you want a prequel where we follow Marcus’s father or a sequel with a new crew? Leave your suggestions below.