Former Epic Games design director and Gears of War co-creator Cliff Bleszinski has weighed in on his former company's decision to sell the Gears IP/franchise to Microsoft. Heading up future Gears of War development will be the newly created Black Tusk Studios, aided by former Epic Games executive producer Rod Fergusson who also oversaw development of the first three Gears of War games.
"To be honest, I don’t think the franchise could be in better hands. Heck, Rod’s Twitter handle, to this day, is “Gears Viking.” Gears is just as much Rod’s baby as it was mine. He’ll take good care of her," Bleszinski said.
Bleszinski also confirmed that he will not be following Fergusson's footsteps to Microsoft.
"I’m not going to move to Vancouver and work on it," Bleszinski said. "I’m not going to consult on it."
"My headspace is in the future now, not the past. I have come to realize that until you give people something new to focus on they will obsess about the past," he added. "To those of you who love Gears, I love you as well, and I appreciate your support through the years. The fandom, the cosplay, the tattoos, it all means more than any amount of money could ever mean.
"These recent events have steeled my resolve to make something entirely new," Bleszinski concluded. What that "something new" is exactly has yet to be revealed. Bleszinski has since teased us with images of what looks to be a new game, though he's yet to actually announce anything. When Bleszinski left Epic in October 2012 he made it seem as though he was stepping away from the games industry entirely. While his words may have said one thing, his actions — in posting multiple concept art images for what's presumably a new game — say something entirely differently. At least we know for sure that those images were not of a new Gears of War.
