The Coalition was one of several first party Xbox studios to be affected by Microsoft’s recent round of mass layoffs, following which it was reported that the studio had cancelled development on two unannounced projects. It’s been reported that the next mainline instalment in the Gears of War series – which, as per job listings, has started development – will be the studio’s next game, and it seems it has recruited a former Gears of War veteran to work on the project.
Joshua Ortega, who worked on Gears of War 2 at Epic Games as its writer and co-director, seems to have joined The Coalition to work on the franchise once again. Though it’s not been explicitly announced, Ortega recently took to Twitter and said in a tweet referring to his work on the aforementioned Gears of War 2, “Once again it’s on!”
When asked if that meant he was back working on the franchise, he refused to confirm or deny one way or the other, with his response only reading, “Hmm…”
Whether that means Ortega is working on Gears 6 at The Coalition remains to be officially confirmed, while it also remains unknown what exact role he will have on the project, if he is indeed working on it. We’ll be keeping an eye out for more updates on the matter, so stay tuned.