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Spencer: Black Tusk E3 '13 teaser was "a concept piece", not a in-dev game

This is so bittersweet. I like the Gears franchise, but not at the cost of a new IP.

And now all we need is a new Fable announced and we've come full circle.
 

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
Spin that rich web of bullshit, Spencer.
 

Tratorn

Member
Man, so no new IP from them, just another Gears...how disappointing.
I thought they would make both.

Hopefully Black Tusk won't be just another "1 IP"-studio like 343.
 
They didn't though. They didn't give me the impression that that was their new game. It was just an in engine look at what black tusk was capable of. I did however get the impression that they would work on a new IP.

Taken From Stumpakapow's post:

Microsoft opens new video game studio in Vancouver:

Studio staff have an average of 12 years experience in triple-A games, the industry’s equivalent of Hollywood summer blockbuster movies — “big games, big teams, big budgets, long timelines,” said Crump.

“What that means is we are working on Microsoft’s next big entertainment franchise,” he said. “We’re not working on an existing franchise, we’re looking to build the next Halo here in Vancouver, for example, which is really exciting. We are building something from the ground up.”

“We have been officially green-lit by Microsoft executives to go ahead with the project that we’re on,” he said
.
 
This is so bittersweet. I like the Gears franchise, but not at the cost of a new IP.

Pretty much. Not at a cost of a new IP.

Especially since Black Tusk isn't even former Epic devs who were key members of the franchise. They're industry vets, new faces, fresh ideas, big stack of cash.

C'mon.
 
Damn..so they began work on their new IP. Microsoft got a hold of the GoW franchise and then moved them to work on that instead??!?
 
Final-Fantasy-7-Remake-Scan.jpg
 

Finalizer

Member
Welp.

On the other hand, guess that answers the uncertainty regarding the future of Gears.

EDIT: Your followers need you, CBOAT!
 

Codeblue

Member

Don Mattrick was hinting pretty hard that they were going to show Black Tusk's game last E3. It's not like they had a game and tech demo and they decided to opt for the tech demo instead. I doubt they've been working on Gears all this time. The truth seems obvious.
 
Ughhhh utter facepalm man...Why not wait and let them finish their IP?? One of the things I was genuinely interested in coming out of the Xbone camp -____-. Someone show MS the whynotboth.gif please!
 

beast786

Member
that means BT new IP was going no where. From business point it makes more sense. Even though GAF might not like this. it guarantee them a AAA franchise instead of a risky new IP
 

rdrr gnr

Member
I remember some GAF insiders stating that they were unsure about debuting the Black Tusk game -- I wonder if at that point something like this wasn't already being considered.
 
Yeah, they've just been twiddling their thumbs working on absolutely nothing for 9 months.

More then that, the studio was founded in november 2012, so they must have been doing something for the past 14 months.

SO they lied to us at the press conference to create false hype

I don't think so. Black Tusk was clearly working on a new IP, but plans change (or BT's game was going nowhere).
 
Yeah, they've just been twiddling their thumbs working on absolutely nothing for 9 months.

Yeah, this makes me wonder.

I can imagine they were actually deving a game but then when MS came in with the gears Franhise they were told to drop everything and immediately start on a new Gears game.

Whatever happened, it is really disappointing. Who the hell wants ANOTHER gears game?
 

Footos22

Member
Ppl are disapointed about them not making that stealth game that from the teaser looked generic as hell.

I'd take a proper new gears over that, even though i dunno where the hell they can take it.
 

RamzaIsCool

The Amiga Brotherhood
I watched back the E3 segment of the Black Tusk announcement. Phil Spences clearly says "brand new, triple a, exclusive game". Take that as you will, but either they were bullshitting us at the conference or they are bullshitting us now.
 
Heres an exchange I just had on twitter with studio head at Black Tusk:

HannoLemke: Tremendous honor to be part of @BlackTuskStudio and @Xbox developing Gears of War. Super excited to welcome @GearsViking to the team!

Steverulez: @hannolemke Can you confirm the status of the new IP you were making? Is it dead or are you a multi project studio?

HannoLemke: @Steverulez today we're focused on the exciting news about Gears, you'll have to stay tuned for more details on what we're working on...

So, not dead? Fuck, I have no idea. The information in the OP sounds like it is, but that makes it sound like they're making more than one game...?

Not to mention from the 13th of January, a job posting for Black Tusk

Lead Writer - Devices and Studios - Black Tusk Studios (851206) Job
Apply now Apply now
Date: Jan 13, 2014
Location: Vancouver, CA

Job Category: Software Engineering: Creative
Location: Vancouver, CA
Job ID: 851206-122950
Division: Devices and Studios Engineering

LEAD WRITER

We are looking for a seasoned storyteller who can help us bring Microsoft’s next big IP to life. This individual will help us develop the characters, story arc, emotional tone, pacing, dialogue, and flavor of a story that will shape the spirit of this new franchise.
 

daman824

Member
imo either he's telling the truth or they are taking what they already had done and incorporating it into the next gears game. Microsoft wouldn't just cancel a AAA game halfway through development. Especially one that was going to be "the next halo".
 
Also this continues the continuing saga of what the fuck is up with Epic?

They really seem to have lost their mojo. I don't think we've seen anything from them since Fortnite was announced, have we? I expected they'd have a glorious return to PC games after neglecting that audience for so long, but I doubt even that will happen now. Unreal Engine 4 doesn't seem to be making anywhere near the impact UE3 did either; more games so far seem to be using CryENGINE, which is bad news for Epic.

If Gears was up for sale, I wonder if they'd sell Unreal as well? I always felt like that franchise had tons of potential, but the second game was poor and they shifted their attention to multiplayer-only titles.

Also, what the hell is going on with Rod Fergusson? 2K only announced that he'd be leading their new San Francisco studio about, what, 2 months ago?

And as a closing thought, I wonder how much buying this brand cost MS from Harrison's claim they were investing a billion dollars in game development. I'd guess a cool tenth of that was needed to buy the Gears brand outright.
 

Finalizer

Member
Exactly. There's a chance this game is as far along as Uncharted 4 for all we know.

I don't see how anyone can believe they've been working on Gears this whole time considering the quote in the OP:

“We’re not working on an existing franchise, we’re looking to build the next Halo here in Vancouver, for example, which is really exciting. We are building something from the ground up.”
 

Copenap

Member
Sucks for the people hoping for a new ip, good news for hardcore GoW fans I guess. Anyways, pretty obvious bullshit by MS PR, game got definitely killed in favor of Gears.
 
They really seem to have lost their mojo. I don't think we've seen anything from them since Fortnite was announced, have we? I expected they'd have a glorious return to PC games after neglecting that audience for so long, but I doubt even that will happen now. Unreal Engine 4 doesn't seem to be making anywhere near the impact UE3 did either; more games so far seem to be using CryENGINE, which is bad news for Epic.

If Gears was up for sale, I wonder if they'd sell Unreal as well? I always felt like that franchise had tons of potential, but the second game was poor and they shifted their attention to multiplayer-only titles.

Also, what the hell is going on with Rod Fergusson? 2K only announced that he'd be leading their new San Francisco studio about, what, 2 months ago?

And as a closing thought, I wonder how much buying this brand cost MS from Harrison's claim they were investing a billion dollars in game development. I'd guess a cool tenth of that was needed to buy the Gears brand outright.

Wasn't that billion for the first year alone or something?
 

coolasj19

Why are you reading my tag instead of the title of my post?
This, but some people will continue to ignore this because...it's Microsoft!
This means one less new IP. Which Microsoft desperately needs. I'm just absolutely apathetic about this. People like me, who didn't like Gears Of War, just got double screwed. Congrats! No new IP, instead, a Gears game.
imo either he's telling the truth or they are taking what they already had done and incorporating it into the next gears game. Microsoft wouldn't just cancel a AAA game halfway through development. Especially one that was going to be "the next halo".
Yes they would. Why have "The Next Halo" when you can have literally the next best thing after that? Gears!
 

Kaswa101

Member
Typical MS; abandoning a new IP for another milked franchise. :/

If BT just started working on this now, does that mean it'll only release in 2016 or some such?
 

prwxv3

Member
I really don't care if they make another Gears, people enjoy them and they sell well. But if they scrapped a new IP for gears after teasing a new IP is where I draw the line.
 
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