Support NeoGAF

[Jac_Solar]

How long has Black Tusk been formed?

I can't imagine Microsoft would have had them working on a Gears of War game in anticipation of this deal. If this deal would have fallen out that would been an enormous waste of money.

I def think Black Tusk is working on another game.

They could have had a separate deal that let them develop the game or whatever.

 

[SwiftDeath]

Bottom line- we can go back and forth on this, we won't really know unless a tweet slips out or we get a post-mortem years from now.

I feel like I should respond to this first because it is the truth of the matter. Without real discussion with the devs of black tusk preferably after some have left in the future [maybe years later] or under the cover of anonymity, it is impossible to truly gauge the morale of the studio although I still concede that at least some of my hypothetical is the most likely outcome given the scenario

Rod Fergusson seems pretty okay with it
https://twitter.com/GearsViking

Eh guy is being brought in to work on the project specifically and is likely being very well compensated. So while that alone would likely make his comment PR-friendly I believe he truly loves gears and loves the opportunity. I'm more curious about the original black tusk devs

Re: above- Sure your hypothetical sucks, but you're leaving out the part that the premise that you've been handed is a storied franchise worth millions of dollars. You've been handed security and the reigns to a AAAA franchise.

Perhaps but I honestly believe devs are far less risk-averse than management and would almost always prefer to work on their own properties than someone elses brainchild even one as successful as Gears. Again though we can go back and forth on this

 

[jim2011]

Wonder how much they paid? Thing about gears is it sold (I think) primarily because it was such a good looking game compared to what was out at the time.

It was not just the best looking game at the time, it was the best playing third person shooter. It sold well because it had excellent gameplay mechanics. Remember this is before all the other third person shooters started copying it. Like halo, it redefined a genre.

 

[PBY]

I feel like I should respond to this first because it is the truth of the matter. Without real discussion with the devs of black tusk preferably after some have left in the future [maybe years later] or under the cover of anonymity, it is impossible to truly gauge the morale of the studio although I still concede that at least some of my hypothetical is the most likely outcome given the scenario



Eh guy is being brought in to work on the project specifically and is likely being very well compensated. So while that alone would likely make his comment PR-friendly I believe he truly loves gears and loves the opportunity. I'm more curious about the original black tusk devs



Perhaps but I honestly believe devs are far less risk-averse than management and would almost always prefer to work on their own properties than someone elses brainchild even one as successful as Gears. Again though we can go back and forth on this

Agreed on all counts. Can't wait to read the tell all book about MS this gen.

 

[-PXG-]

I'm watching a Gears 3 stream right now. God damn. Giving me that itch

 

[Mikey Jr.]

Kinda sucks that MS used 100 million when that could have been used for a new IP. And the double whammy was that Black Tusk IP was scrapped so they can do Gears.

Such a shame.

 

[TheSeks]

Microsoft really needs more RPG's. I would even take something based in the Halo Universe not involving MC, Mass Effect style space RPG.

Hell, that Lord of the Rings: The Third Age clone of Final Fantasy X was a decent knock-off from EA. Why not just clone FFXII's MMORPG-ish offline shtick and do a Halo RPG that way. Knock two birds (MMO and RPG) off with one stone if they include a co-op RPG mode or something.

 

[SwiftDeath]

Agreed on all counts. Can't wait to read the tell all book about MS this gen.

Oh man I would buy that day one. Thing would read like a How-not-to-PR manual.

 

[PBY]

Oh man I would buy that day one. Thing would read like a How-not-to-PR manual.

Most def.

 

[perineumlick]

I'm watching a Gears 3 stream right now. God damn. Giving me that itch

Word! I loved Gears 3 horde mode; played the hell out of that shit.

I'm torn on this one; I'm waiting for the next big game for XBone before I make the plunge, and I LOVE the Gears franchise, but I would also like something fresh and new, since Gears is running on fumes now. CBOAT was blown away by what he saw of the Black Tusk game, and that's pretty disappointing to know that it's probably been scrapped.

 

[TheTwelve]

This competition is amazing.

Securing the first Titanfall, buying the Gears of War rights...WOW. Microsoft is not throwing in the towel, my friends.

They still need something to help with their worldwide sales but Microsoft is not going to give up the American market very easily.

 

[The Flash]

Here's my two cents:

1. Glad that MS has another quality IP under its belt
2. Happy that another Gears game is in the works
3. Pleased to see a Gears franchise veteran like Fergusson being involved
4. Thought that it was cool that CliffyB is happy with the decision
5. Bummed that whatever Black Tusk was working on at first was scrapped or whatever
6. All this talk about Gears makes me want to go back and play Gears 3 again
7. Couldn't be happier that Don Mattrick is out of the picture because Phil Spencer is doing a great job getting MS Studios and the rest of the Xbox team back on track

 

[KageMaru]

Am I mistaken or was this studio previously working on two titles, one a shooter and the other a Kinect game just for the Kinect title to be cancelled?

I'm confused what this studio has been doing this whole time.

 

[Goodacre0081]

this makes me wonder what Epic is really up to besides Fortnite. sure, Gears is my most played MP game last generation but I have always been drawn to Epic and their games for some reason. I think their next big game is going blow people away, just as much as Destiny has for Bungie. it's been nearly 10 years of producing Gears games for them, I'm sure they have some ideas ready to be announced.

 

[Ryu751]

I was hoping for something new from Black Tusk bummer. I have serious shooter fatigue. I look foreword to seeing how a new Gears would look, but half way through Gears 3 I was completely bored. Mircrosoft will never stop the Cole train.

 

[AuthenticM]

Am I seriously the only one not surprised here ? I predicted this years ago.

 

[Amir0x]

Exactly how I feel at this point. There was so much excitement around that video. Especially after this:

http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2012/11/29/microsoft-opens-new-video-game-studio-in-vancouver/

To pretend it was all a concept is a flat out lie. Makes me think all this happened quite recently. :/

It is what it is. That's Microsoft's M.O. at this point

Rod Fergusson seems pretty okay with it
https://twitter.com/GearsViking

As an aside, it's pretty pointless to gauge how they're actually feeling. This is their project now, they're not going to take to twitter to say how much this sucks. The success of the game is integrally tied to their future now

Not that they're not happy, but we have no way to actually know what they would have preferred now. Twitter won't give us the answer.

 

[daman824]

A couple of things

1. How long do you think the gen will last? 5 or 6 years? So 2 or maybe 3 games per team at most [probably 2]. If you think MS won't want as many Gears games as possible after paying through the nose for the IP you're mistaken. So for Black Tusk to get another shot at their new IP, they either need to spin up a second team or the 2nd Gears XB1 game needs to be made by another MS studio. In either case MS would need to setup a need studio or team and their move in this instance already signals that they are at least somewhat opposed to that lest they simply do it now instead of later
2. Uncharted was an original IP made by ND. They were not being forced to make the 5th major game for a 8 year old franchise that was started by a 3rd party company. Comparing it to Uncharted is not a fair comparison.
3. The most likely outcome from being forced to change direction entirely from a new in-house created IP to a rehash of an old IP serialized by a 3rd party is to create tension and disorient whatever unity already exists within the black tusk studio, not bring the team together. Many people are speculating this move will lead to people leaving the studio. Not the best environment for team-building
4. Gears of war 4 [or whatever] can actually be good it really can. We'll see though but I hope they don't feel the need to pander to the already established fanbase which is a concern.
5. Black Tusk was created to be MS's newest AAA studio and to make the next big "haloesque" game. That was always their initiative and the move to making the next gears is in many ways a downgrade in the level of trust and view of competency the studio received to make their own big new IP.

Let me ask you this then. You are working on a project you conceived for an entire year. Your boss comes to you and says that jenkins on floor 3 has a better premise for the project so you should shelf your idea completely and follow his because his previous ideas have sold well. That makes you feel good?

1. MS owns the ip now, they no longer have to rush the games out of the gate and can go all out. Create a gears tv series (like halo), continue the gears of war books and merchandise, and sell gangbusters when they release the next gears game. This isn't a short therm, make as much money as we can and drop it sort of deal. If there is another xbox, there will be a gears of war game on it.

2. Or you know, ms would trust black tusk with alternating between a new ip and gears of war after they prove themselves by making a high selling, and high scoring gears game.

3. You missed my point. Gears of war is now one of black tusks franchises. And I'm sure the next game will reflect that. But they aren't limited to only making gears of war games like 343 is with halo.

4. We'll see if they actually start to leave. They no doubt have known that this deal was coming for a while now and there have been no signs of unrest. If they were really forced to make gears of war games for the rest of eternity, they would be leaving by the droves as we speak. That's not what they applied for. The fact that no one is leaving points to a lot of people overreacting right now.

5. The only way they will have to cater to the fanbase is in the gameplay department (and even then, I expect a lot of needed changes). They will get to tell their own story and create their own conflict. They can make Gears of War theirs.

6. Imo the move shows that ms has quite a bit of trust in black tusk. They are being given microsofts second most profitable franchise. But an existing franchise can also be a great place for them to learn the ropes as a team so that when they finally make a new ip, they have a clear goal and can focus on making a game that will be good enough to be a multi-generation franchise.

 

[Omnistalgic]

hmm? Don't get why people aren't happy with this news...

I'm not happy because I"m not picking up an X1 till it's dirty cheap and has a large library of exclusives I want (which may be never) and Gears would definitely fit the bill, lovely game.

Gears on next-gen will likely be a nice reboot for the franchise with new characters/story/etc...Good move by MS IMO, new IP's will certainly come as well. But it doesn't hurt to have Gears underwraps. A bit disappointed it's not coming to PS4 tbh, tis and TitanFall seem "taken" away from future PS4 collection. This is what exclusives are all about though, and why broke gamers have to add up the cost and pick a side, at least till things get cheaper.

all i in all bad news for Gears fans only getting PS4 for the time being, good news for MS if they can continue the success of the franchise.

 

[Goodacre0081]

As an aside, it's pretty pointless to gauge how they're actually feeling. This is their project now, they're not going to take to twitter to say how much this sucks. The success of the game is integrally tied to their future now

Not that they're not happy, but we have no way to actually know what they would have preferred now. Twitter won't give us the answer.

they'll never be as passionate about making Gears as the Epic team did. Rod might instil some of that to the team but there's a real possibility that the game just wont hit the highs it once did on the 360.

 

[Amir0x]

they'll never be as passionate about making Gears as the Epic team did. Rod might instil some of that to the team but there's a real possibility that the game just wont hit the highs it once did on the 360.

I mean I won't make any assumptions about that. For all I know, Black Tusk working on the series might be just what it needs for me to get interested in again, because I was burnt out and Judgment did not do the series any favor in my eyes.

I just need to have time to adjust to the new reality where a game I was actually really curious about is replaced for one for which I have tepid curiosity that it might reignite a past flame

 

[Leflus]

Here's my two cents:

1. Glad that MS has another quality IP under its belt
2. Happy that another Gears game is in the works
3. Pleased to see a Gears franchise veteran like Fergusson being involved
4. Thought that it was cool that CliffyB is happy with the decision
5. Bummed that whatever Black Tusk was working on at first was scrapped or whatever
6. All this talk about Gears makes me want to go back and play Gears 3 again
7. Couldn't be happier that Don Mattrick is out of the picture because Phil Spencer is doing a great job getting MS Studios and the rest of the Xbox team back on track

I agree with all your points. Especially with the third. Rod has been one of the main guys behind Gears since the beginning, so this should help immensely.

Also nice to see that MS is bringing some decent talent back into the fold with Rod Fergusson, Joe Staten and Simon Carter.

 

[viveks86]

hmm? Don't get why people aren't happy with this news...

It's simple, actually. Most people already anticipated a new Gears game for next gen. What has happened now is something new is being replaced with something that we already knew. The only ones truly happy are the ones who didn't expect it to make it to next gen. For the rest, this seems like getting 1 game instead of 2.

 

[PBY]

It's simple, actually. Most people already felt that the Gears franchise isn't dead and will continue in some way. What has happened now is something new is being replaced with something that we already knew. The only ones truly happy are the ones who didn't expect it to make it to next gen. For the rest, this seems like getting 1 game instead of 2.

Yeah I'm in the camp that thought Gears was dead, happy to see it get another shot with a huge budget, etc. That said, I can totally see the flip side of the coin.

 

[SwiftDeath]

1. MS owns the ip now, they no longer have to rush the games out of the gate and can go all out. Create a gears tv series (like halo), continue the gears of war books and merchandise, and sell gangbusters when they release the next gears game. This isn't a short therm, make as much money as we can and drop it sort of deal. If there is another xbox, there will be a gears of war game on it.

2. Or you know, ms would trust black tusk with alternating between a new ip and gears of war after they prove themselves by making a high selling, and high scoring gears game.

3. You missed my point. Gears of war is now one of black tusks franchises. And I'm sure the next game will reflect that. But they aren't limited to only making gears of war games like 343 is with halo.

4. We'll see if they actually start to leave. They no doubt have known that this deal was coming for a while now and there have been no signs of unrest. If they were really forced to make gears of war games for the rest of eternity, they would be leaving by the droves as we speak. That's not what they applied for. The fact that no one is leaving points to a lot of people overreacting right now.

5. The only way they will have to cater to the fanbase is in the gameplay department (and even then, I expect a lot of needed changes). They will get to tell their own story and create their own conflict. They can make Gears of War theirs.

6. Imo the move shows that ms has quite a bit of trust in black tusk. They are being given microsofts second most profitable franchise. But an existing franchise can also be a great place for them to learn the ropes as a team so that when they finally make a new ip, they have a clear goal and can focus on making a game that will be good enough to be a multi-generation franchise.

I apologize for making my initial response text heavy as I've cursed us to this anyways

1. While I agree that MS will look at other ways to leverage the Gears IP and will certainly double down on merchandising and the like [think TV show might happen but not for years at this rate] I think it's highly unlikely and almost illogical to think they won't try to produce 2 gears of war games for this gen of consoles [XB1]. They paid quite a bit for the IP, they are going to make games out of it.
2. If MS trusted Black Tusk so much they would've let them keep working on the new IP. I foresee two likely outcomes for Black Tusk either they make a hell of a gears game that sells very well [distinct possibility] or they produce a sub-par gears of war due to dev problems. If it sells well I fear risk-averse MS will ask them to produce the next gears instead of an untested new IP. If the new gears fails to sell I fear black tusk might be re-purposed or broken up into other studios within MS studios
3. Halo is now one of 343i franchises so what's your point there exactly? And we don't know if Black tusk is just limited to making Gears game although I think your point is the studio wasn't conceived to just make a specific franchise? If so, yes they have that slimmer of hope that 343i and rare no longer have.
4. As I discussed with Peterboy we really don't know how black tusk devs feel about the deal. They will have been locked in contracts so even if they knew of this for several months may not have been able to "get out" as of yet. I do not believe it is being blown out of proportion. They literally shelved the new IP the team had been working on for a year. That can't feel good.
5. Completely agree to this point. I actually feel that Black Tusk Gears 4 has a good chance to be a really good game although I expect more variation from previous games than others expect. We'll see though.
6. I see the move as more of a pure business decision akin to a move EA or Activison would make. MS built Black tusk by acquiring various devs of high quality talent and thus assume they are capable of making a good game almost irregardless of the circumstances, that doubled up with black tusks existing experience with UE4 makes for a good business decision. Honestly I see it more as there is no one else MS could trust Gears to. If they developed a new studio for it, it wouldn't have the talent, time together or experience with UE4 so they needed to use Black Tusk.
   

Yeah I'm in the camp that thought Gears was dead, happy to see it get another shot with a huge budget, etc. That said, I can totally see the flip side of the coin.

Ah well that makes sense then. I was under the incorrect impression that it was generally accepted there would be a next-gen Gears game. So for me it was like getting 1 game instead of 2

 

[The Flash]

I agree with all your points. Especially with the third. Rod has been one of the main guys behind Gears since the beginning, so this should help immensely.

Also nice to see that MS is bringing some decent talent back into the fold with Rod Fergusson, Joe Staten and Simon Carter.

In Spencer/Fergusson/Staten we trust

 

[BigDug13]

1. MS owns the ip now, they no longer have to rush the games out of the gate and can go all out. Create a gears tv series (like halo), continue the gears of war books and merchandise, and sell gangbusters when they release the next gears game. This isn't a short therm, make as much money as we can and drop it sort of deal. If there is another xbox, there will be a gears of war game on it.

2. Or you know, ms would trust black tusk with alternating between a new ip and gears of war after they prove themselves by making a high selling, and high scoring gears game.

3. You missed my point. Gears of war is now one of black tusks franchises. And I'm sure the next game will reflect that. But they aren't limited to only making gears of war games like 343 is with halo.

4. We'll see if they actually start to leave. They no doubt have known that this deal was coming for a while now and there have been no signs of unrest. If they were really forced to make gears of war games for the rest of eternity, they would be leaving by the droves as we speak. That's not what they applied for. The fact that no one is leaving points to a lot of people overreacting right now.

5. The only way they will have to cater to the fanbase is in the gameplay department (and even then, I expect a lot of needed changes). They will get to tell their own story and create their own conflict. They can make Gears of War theirs.

6. Imo the move shows that ms has quite a bit of trust in black tusk. They are being given microsofts second most profitable franchise. But an existing franchise can also be a great place for them to learn the ropes as a team so that when they finally make a new ip, they have a clear goal and can focus on making a game that will be good enough to be a multi-generation franchise.

Why would they allow Black Tusk to go back to making a different IP? If it really cost them upwards of 100 million for the franchise name, they will need to churn out games to capitalize on that investment as much as possible.

Naughty Dog created a lot of Uncharted games. Imagine if Sony had spent 100 million acquiring the IP beforehand. Do you think The Last of Us would have happened?

 

[IAmRandom31]

Atleast we now know Epic is not wasting time on a Gears of War collection or anything.

This makes me wonder what Epic really is working on. Unreal Tournament?

 

[PBY]

Atleast we now know Epic is not wasting time on a Gears of War collection or anything.

This makes me wonder what Epic really is working on. Unreal Tournament?

I hope its not UT.

 

[Xenon]

Kinda sucks that MS used 100 million when that could have been used for a new IP. And the double whammy was that Black Tusk IP was scrapped so they can do Gears.

Such a shame.

100 Million? Has this been confirmed?

 

[viveks86]

Yeah I'm in the camp that thought Gears was dead, happy to see it get another shot with a huge budget, etc. That said, I can totally see the flip side of the coin.

What strikes me as extremely weird is the way this announcement was made. Regardless of whether it was anticipated or not, you would expect MS to make a big splash with iconic sound effects and an intro video on stage at some conference. Wouldn't have thought they would do it on their PR website! Seems very low key for such a big franchise.

Atleast we now know Epic is not wasting time on a Gears of War collection or anything.

This makes me wonder what Epic really is working on. Unreal Tournament?

"Multiple games". Whatever that means!

 

[reptilescorpio]

Good move financially I guess.

Sucks that Rod Fergusson created a brand new studio under Take 2, who allow basically complete creative control and as much time as you want to make whatever you want, and is now back under MS doing Gears again. Would have loved to see what he could create with those constraints

Also sucks that Black Tusk are stuck doing someone else's IP. I thought they were doing some kind of Splinter Cell title?

 

[Sammy Samusu]

I can't wait for Microsoft to drive their money trucks to Square Enix, Namco and Atlus.

I live for the meltdowns.

 

[~~Hasan~~]

this is very good news . strength the Microsoft brand. now they have Halo and Gears owned exclusively for them

i expect the next gears of war is will be a very beautiful game graphically.

 

[kasane]

I don't think gears still have much left in the tank

 

[Deputy Dangle]

How to not fuck this game up...Ahem..

Dedicated servers

Host migration

Custom map cycles ( a la Gears 1 Player Match)
Keep it 5 v 5

Return to emphasis on playing as a team and using strats ( ie, focus on Execution and Warzone)

Include Horde, Beast and Overrun

Make it so any CoG can choose any class in Overrun. Also include all Locust beasts or as many as possible

Lancer/ HB, Gnasher, Snub & smoke at start (no loadout bullshit)

Shit loads of CoG and Locust characters and permutations for players to choose from

Shit loads of weapon skins (all unlockable in game or purchasable)

Forget Judgement exists. Do not include any conventions from that game...

...But remove stopping power. No one likes it

Design maps with clear choke points and areas where teams fight for the power weapon (ie Gridlock watch tower)

Keep in mind that Gears is best when there is a focus on CQC/ intimate, seemingly claustrophobic encounters. Big maps and large open areas do not suit the Gears formula at all.

Rifles have a purpose but remember that the Gnasher is the bread and butter of Gears MP

Sawed Off should be pick up only.

Big ass power weapons, such as the mortar should not be in any competitive modes

Preach it! This is what I want!

 

[nib95]

Gears and God of War need to be put to sleep. I'm not sure these two franchises can be milked that much more. But that's just my personal opinion. I'll likely buy and play both the new sequels for that next gen goodness, but Judgement and Ascension just did not have nearly the same impact.

 

[PBY]

Gears and God of War need to be put to sleep. I'm not sure these two franchises can be milked that much more. But that's just my personal opinion. I'll likely buy and play both the new sequels for that next gen goodness, but Judgement and Ascension just did not have nearly the same impact.

Of course- those were, at least I thought, very clearly B-tier side projects. I can't wait for the next gears, and I hope to god we get a new God of War. Give me ps4 kratos and Im there day 1.

edit: I'd probably be more hype for a new God of War on PS4- 3 was too damn good, really showed off the hardware leap.

 

[enzo_gt]

This is so fucking disappointing. Picking up a franchise that has become the epitome of running your course, and putting fresh talent to grind on it instead of making a new IP that was one of the highlights and commitments from MS at E3 going forward.

 

[LowerLevel]

100 Million? Has this been confirmed?

Exactly what I was wondering...

 

[viveks86]

100 Million? Has this been confirmed?

It will never be confirmed, unless someone like CBOAT comments on it. But it doesn't sound way off.

 

[BigDug13]

100 Million? Has this been confirmed?

Just speculation that it could be "as much as 100 million."

Regardless, this business move means the Gears of War IP on XBO is starting out deep in the hole as far as recouped expenses. And it also means MS has been throwing money away on paychecks at Black Tusk for the past year with now nothing to show for it, so I'm not sure what dollar amount that is as well.

 

[-PXG-]

I want Kinect voice commands. For instance:

Shouting "Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo" 1000 times earns an achievement

Saying, "Lookit all dat juice" at certain points will earn you in game credits to purchase weapon skins (context sensitive)

Telling Damon Baird to,"Turn that shit off" will prompt him to shut off any annoying Spanish music that is playing in the background

Spoiler

Horrible idea. Please don't do this.

 

[SwiftDeath]

What strikes me as extremely weird is the way this announcement was made. Regardless of whether it was anticipated or not, you would expect MS to make a big splash with iconic sound effects and an intro video on stage at some conference. Wouldn't have thought they would do it on their PR website! Seems very low key for such a big franchise.

It's exactly like the Titanfall locked exclusive announcement

I have to imagine this deal was also finalized recently and may have even started being truly negotiated after last E3 which would be crazy but seems that way.

There was no big enough event to truly announce it at so they just let it go or perhaps to boost XB1 sales in the slow part of the year?

I want Kinect voice commands. For instance:

Shouting "Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo" 1000 times earns an achievement

Saying, "Lookit all dat juice" at certain points will earn you in game credits to purchase weapon skins (context sensitive)

Telling Damon Baird to,"Turn that shit off" will prompt him to shut off any annoying Spanish music that is playing in the background

Spoiler

Horrible idea. Please don't do this.

*User Feedback Accepted*

Sorting through racially insensitive stereotypical phrases

 

[PBY]

It's exactly like the Titanfall locked exclusive announcement

I have to imagine this deal was also finalized recently and may have even started being truly negotiated after last E3 which would be crazy but seems that way.

There was no big enough event to truly announce it at so they just let it go or perhaps to boost XB1 sales in the slow part of the year?

My only guess would be that this would be leaked at an investors meeting given the scope of the acquisition- isn't that how we got the Titanfall news?

 

[Alchemy]

Not sure how I feel about Microsoft padding their line up with studios built around creating sequels for games they never made in the first place. I imagine a new Gears is going to feel like a weird off brand food product compared to the real thing. It might look like a pop tart, but it sure as fuck doesn't taste like one. Halo 4 had this problem for me as well.

Just make something new please.

 

[mysteriousmage09]

Of course- those were, at least I thought, very clearly B-tier side projects. I can't wait for the next gears, and I hope to god we get a new God of War. Give me ps4 kratos and Im there day 1.

edit: I'd probably be more hype for a new God of War on PS4- 3 was too damn good, really showed off the hardware leap.

GoW needs a setting change along with a new lead character, most likely Egyptian mythology, or the franchise needs a rest, same with Killzone, and Uncharted needs a rest after 4 and a shit load of others. A new generation starting out with established IPs showing off the tech advancements from the previous generation is good and all but I don't want to see a huge bulk of the same damn games from the same franchises that we've all been flooded with the past 6 or so years for another 5-6 years.

New IPs should top priority now that the new consoles are out, not backseat status.

 

[SwiftDeath]

My only guess would be that this would be leaked at an investors meeting given the scope of the acquisition- isn't that how we got the Titanfall news?

You sir win a cookie

http://kotaku.com/forget-about-a-titanfall-port-for-playstation-in-a-con-1454335261

In a conference call to investors, Electronic Arts' Blake Jorgensen just said that Titanfall is, "for the life of the title," exclusive to Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC. So the game is not a timed exclusive to Microsoft platforms.

So in that case it was alleviating shareholder concerns. Is there a comparable conference for this announcement?

 

[Dr. Kitty Muffins]

I am more excited about what Epic might produce. Black Tusk will have to prove it to me before I will even think about Gears. I am not giving them the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Lunzio]

Personally disappointing because I want new IPs.