Epic Games Sold Gears Of War Because It Ran Out Of Ideas
To many, the Gears of War franchise is beyond its prime. Which is a bit sad, to be honest. The game hit an immense peak with Gears of War 3's release, becoming an icon for the Xbox and bringing the concept of an assault rifle with a chainsaw built into it to the masses (which persists as one of the most badass decisions in gaming to this day).
And yet, the shooter series has persisted, with Gears becoming a big selling point for the Game Pass at launch. And as it turns out, the success of the series is in spite of a lack of creativity. Not on Xbox's part , but apparently on that of Epic Games.
Why Did Epic Games Sell Gears Of War?
Click to enlargeIt has been revealed on an IGN podcast that Epic Games gave the keys to the Gears of War series to Microsoft as a result of a lack of ideas.
Cliff Bleszinski is the creator and former Lead Designer for the Gears series, and told the Unfiltered podcast that even though he left Epic Games before the sale was made, it was clear that something was wrong with the series at the time.
Cliffy B also laments that rather than getting a call from Epic Games to let him know about the sale, he got a call from Xbox boss Phil Spencer instead. "When the IP was sold to Microsoft the only phone call I got was from Phil Spencer. Right? And that's Phil. Phil is, as they say, a gentleman and a scholar," he says.
Gears Designer Thinks The Series Was Sold For Income Reasons
As is the way with many big sales in the gaming industry, Bleszinski reckons that the sale of the series came mostly down to Epic Games simply needing the money. "They were growing and they probably needed the income," added the former franchise overseer. Fair enough.
Of course, Epic is known for Fortnite these days and has long since moved past the troubles of Marcus Fenix. Epic Games might not have been in the good spot it's in now at the time of the Gears of War handover, but if it had known what the series could have done, chances are they'd have clung to it with a vice grip. Oh well, back to waiting for Gears of War 6.
