The guttural charge of Chainsaw Lancers revving through the DualSense – who’d have thought, two decades ago, that this brutal, visceral, borderline absurd sensation, once synonymous with Microsoft and the Xbox 360, would cross the frontline to nestle in the hands of the enemy?
And yet, here we are. Gears of War: Reloaded is planting its flag deep in PlayStation territory. This is a tectonic shift – an emblem of generational loyalty dissolving. This isn’t just a game arriving late to a new platform. It’s Marcus Fenix curb-stomping Microsoft’s once-unshakable identity, ushering in a new generation of players.
However, Fenix and co. kicking down the doors of PlayStation’s house shouldn’t be seen solely as a coup for Sony. Yes, Gears of War is arguably Microsoft’s most recognised multi-platform release to date, and evidently legions of PlayStation players have been itching to get their hands on Gears’ trailblazing brand of gritty third-person warfare with Reloaded currently topping the PS Store’s pre-order charts. No, this isn’t just a win for Sony; it’s a prescient signal of post-exclusivity gaming. Gears of War: Reloaded on PS5 is the boldest step yet towards a future where exclusivity is increasingly archaic.
Together with the success of Forza Horizon 5 and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on Sony’s console, the door is wide open for Halo to walk through. Once Master Chief crosses the fold, will Microsoft and Sony’s generations-deep console war finally be over?
Before we reach that point, we have Gears’ impending arrival on PlayStation to discuss. To understand why this moment feels so seismic, we need to cast our minds back to Gears of Wars’ explosive debut in 2006. Set on the war-torn planet of Sera, and introducing players to the fearsome, subterranean Locust Horde, the game fused militaristic sci-fi with existential horror like never before. Its beating heart was the now-iconic Lancer Rifle and chainsaw bayonet; a symbol of its unapologetic savagery.
Mechanically groundbreaking too; Gears’ cover-based shooting, active reloads, and thunderous ‘roadie runs’ redefined third-person shooters – from The Last of Us to Tom Clancy’s The Division, and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, countless titles since have borrowed from or iterated upon Gears of Wars’ design.
In the years before Microsoft embraced its multi-platform strategy, their goal was to build first-party games compelling enough to sell hardware. In the run-up to Starfield, Bethesda’s Todd Howard spoke openly of the pressure for exclusives to shift not just copies but Xbox consoles too. Gears of War, back in 2006, achieved exactly this. An undeniable platform seller, like Halo: Combat Evolved before it, Gears of War is synonymous with the hardware it released on. Anecdotally, Marcus Fenix’s blood-soaked debut propelled Xbox 360 sales throughout its launch window and into the holiday season.
Its commercial and critical success led to a full-blown trilogy. Arriving in 2008, Gears of War 2 was bigger in scale and scope, introducing newfound emotional depth to the series in its portrayal of brotherly bonds forged through war. 2011’s Gears of War 3 concluded the trilogy with aplomb, refining gameplay further with the introduction of 4-player co-op. Alongside Halo and Forza, Gears of War had established itself as a pillar of Xbox’s brand.
Come 2014, Microsoft had acquired the rights to the IP from Epic and installed Vancouver-based The Coalition to relaunch the series into a new dawn. 2016’s Gears of War 4 began a new saga, introducing JD Fenix – Marcus’ son – to the fold. Released in 2019, Gears 5 expanded gameplay further whilst shifting narrative focus to Kait Diaz. The most accomplished Gears of War title to date, widespread discussions and theorising of its ending reflect Gears’ wider cultural influence, where spin-offs, novels, comics, plus an upcoming animated series and Netflix-created live-action movie are expanding the franchise’s universe.
Gears of War: Reloaded is a remaster of the blockbusting original, fully optimised for modern hardware. Included is the original campaign plus bonus act, multiplayer maps, characters, and cosmetics. Full cross-play and cross-progression is enabled at launch. Newcomers have the option for streamlined, modernised controls whilst veterans of the series can relive the series’ classic feel via an authentic layout.
Game feel is the big one for PS5 players. Thankfully, concerns that Gears of War: Reloaded might be a bare-bones port can be laid to rest – The Coalition has clearly optimised the experience for Sony’s hardware. DualSense support includes immersive haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, adding new layers of tactile sensation to every reload, recoil, and chainsaw rev. Comms chatter bleeds through the DualSense’s speaker, whilst during multiplayer matches the light ribbon glows blue for COG or red for Locust in a subtle touch that adds to immersion.
Reloaded is also enhanced for PS5 Pro, with The Coalition confirming PSSR support alongside improved shadow and reflection quality. The opportunity for PlayStation players to engage with the game as if it was originally developed for their chosen platform is reassuring, reinforcing Microsoft’s commitment to a meaningful multi-platform strategy which embraces platform-native integration beyond basic ports.
Does Gears of War: Reloaded landing on PlayStation present broader implications for the industry? Analysts suggest Microsoft’s multi-platform strategy is proving commercially successful; releasing games on PlayStation and Nintendo Switch is generating revenue beyond the traditional Xbox ecosystem. The question now is will Sony follow suit? Helldivers 2, a Sony property, is coming to Xbox Series X|S on August 26th, indicating that, from the Japanese giant’s side, gaps in console exclusivity are set to shrink further. The watershed moment will be if PlayStation’s legacy franchises make their way over to Xbox – Uncharted, Gran Turismo, or even more contemporary classics like Horizon or Astro Bot.
Multi-platform’s erosion of generational loyalty is diminishing Microsoft’s identity, but in its place is a service-first approach, particularly in their continuing push to support Game Pass with a ‘Play Anywhere’ ethos.
Reports suggest Sony is gearing up to produce their own handheld which includes local playback and dedicated processing power; stronger connective tissue to the PlayStation ecosystem beyond the PS5’s PlayStation Portal, thereby replicating Microsoft’s ‘Play Anywhere’ policy to an extent. The toughest nut to crack will be whether they’re willing to share their first-party titles beyond PlayStation.
However, a job listing posted at Sony Interactive Entertainment suggests just that: a “critical leadership role in shaping and executing the global commercial strategy for PlayStation Studios software titles across all digital platforms” is how the job reads as advertised. There doesn’t seem any other way to interpret this other than Sony is putting the building blocks in place to spread their first-party titles to Xbox and Switch, and perhaps even to mobile and PC via the Epic Games Store.
The biggest grey area shrouding all this theorising is Sony’s current stance on live-service titles. Yes, numerous high-profile titles such as Concord and The Last of Us Online have been cancelled, but Sony hasn’t given up on the model entirely. Moving forward, their approach is to shift focus towards tighter targeting and control. Releasing live-service titles beyond the PlayStation network doesn’t exactly fit in with this strategy.
That said, Gears of War: Reloaded emerging on PS5 tells us that predicting what will happen in the future is a fool’s errand. At one stage, the very idea one of Microsoft’s prime properties would cross such dividing lines was unthinkable. Now, it’s a reality; less a defection, more a symbolic realisation that the walls are crumbling. It’s a monumental event for PlayStation and PS5, sure, but more significant perhaps is where the industry goes from here.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.