‘Gears Of War’: Microsoft Acquires Game Rights, Leaves PlayStation 4 Fans Without

A recent Gears of War Microsoft acquisition has been confirmed, unfortunately leaving Sony gamers without the hope of ever seeing the hit shooter on the PlayStation 4. Being one of the biggest games on the radar for shooter fans, alongside Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Halo, Gears of War took the gritty side of the genre and added a dose of visual steroids, though sacrificing open world gameplay.

Of course, open world gameplay wasn’t always necessary for shooters anyway, as evidenced by the Call of Duty series. The success of COD: Ghosts is evidence that shooters don’t always need much of anything new to bring the sales.

Even though the latest Call of Duty is trying to bring in a wider audience with its alien-based DLC Extinction, it should probably be pointed out that Gears of War has always been about war with aliens.

Epic Games won’t be making the Gears of War series any more, handing the reigns instead to Black Tusk Studios. However, the former Director of Production at Epic Games, Rod Fergusson, will be heading to Black Tusk, meaning that the game will probably not change that much in the transition. In fact, with him at the helm, the game could end up bigger than ever. After all, his departure from Epic Games was instrumental in bringing us the bestseller BioShock Infinite.

Microsoft buys Gears of War franchise from Epic Games http://t.co/I49jrDcLnu by @KyleOrl

— Ars Technica (@arstechnica) January 27, 2014

Unfortunately, with Gears of War now being owned exclusively by Microsoft, those hoping to see a next gen installment on the PlayStation 4 have just had their hopes dashed. They could always get a next gen sequel to the 2013 game of the year The Last of Us if it’s any consolation.

Regarding the acquisition of Gears of War, Microsoft’s Phil Spencer had this to say:

“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. 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.”

Do you think the Gears of War Microsoft deal could be a positive step toward bringing the Xbox One past the PlayStation 4 for the win in the coming years?