Microsoft is really building a dream team of developers for the upcoming Xbox One rendition of Gears of War. The game being developed by Black Tusk Studios just recently received another veteran from the Epic Games development team to help with the new version of the popular third-person shooter.
IGN is reporting that the former cinematics director for Epic Games, Greg M. Mitchell, has departed from Epic Games to join the Black Tusk Studio project and help Gears of War on the Xbox One shine big and bright with its exclusive debut on Microsoft's latest console. The information came in hot and heavy via Twitter, with Mitchell stating the following.
Mitchell joins another veteran from the Gears of War series at Black Tusk Studios: Rod Fergusson. According to Gamespot Microsoft plucked up Fergusson to head up the team on the latest game.
We at least know that Black Tusk is taking the development of the game very seriously. This isn't just going to be a tossed-together project if they're bringing back some key talent that helped work on the original games for the Xbox 360.
Apart from the development studio and the latest acquisitions to help the team out with the project, we don't actually know much of anything about the newest Gears of War game other than that Cole Train might be coming back.
If they're still hiring and putting together key personnel for the project then it means that the game is in the very early stages of development, which means we likely won't see anything substantial at E3. And while a 2016 release date would be nice, if Mitchell is fulfilling the role of a cinematic director – assuming he's picking up where he left off at Epic Games – then that means the game is possibly two years out from release. Again, that's assuming Mitchell is actually coming in as a cinematic director, since cinematics are usually done early on in the development process with the motion and voice actors.
This also makes me question where Gears of War fits in with the new IP at E3 that the Xbox One boss Phil Spencer was talking about? I suppose they might tease the game with a trailer or something at E3 and then focus majority of their time on the big new games they have planned for the console? A lot of questions and not a lot of answers.
With Quantum Break delayed to 2016, though, it definitely gives Microsoft a little bit of leeway with their 2017 line-up, which could be headlined with the Xbox One rendition of Gears of War. Of course, that's all just speculation. For as much as we know the game could be a lot further along than we all know. In the meantime the only thing we can do about the mysterious new entry in the Gears of War saga is speculate on what Black Tusk and Microsoft have planned for the venerable series.
