Cliff Bleszinski, the Lead Designer of Gears of War 1,2, and 3 said that “Epic was unsure” what to do with the franchise before they decided to sell it to Xbox. The creator also talks about the latest Gears of War titles and how they “lack” the heart of the original titles.

Bleszinski sat down with IGN where he revealed that Epic didn’t know what to do with the Gears of War franchise after he and other key members of the team had left. “I honestly think once Lee Perry [Gameplay Designer, Gears of War 2], myself, and Rod Ferguson [Producer, Gears of War] left, I believe that Epic didn’t really know what to do with the franchise.”

He adds how Epic hadn’t shipped a game in a while, was unsure about what to do with the franchise, and was in need of money, which all led them to sell the franchise to Xbox.

Moreover, Cliff reveals how after the purchase was completed, the first person to call him was Phil Spencer. “As much as I loved Tim and Mark [Rein, VP of Epic Games] and we’re still in touch, but 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.”

When asked about the Gears of War franchise under Xbox’s leadership, he said that Gears 4 and 5 “were really, really good,” but lack the heart that was present in the original trilogy. Moreover, he adds that by giving choices between who lives and dies in one of the games, The Coalition has put itself into a “narrative corner.”

Right now, The Coalition is developing two new projects using Unreal Engine 5. One of the games is believed to be the next Gears, while the other one is a new IP. However, none of the projects have been officially announced as of yet. 

Source: IGN