After announcing that Microsoft had purchased the rights to the Gears of War franchise from Epic Games and had appointed Black Tusk Studios to work on the same going forward, there have been nothing but questions. What about new IPs? What about what Black Tusk had been working on prior to Gears, which was showcased at E3 2013?
Corporate VP for Microsoft Games Studios Phil Spencer took to Twitter to answer any and all questions. In regards to fresh new IP, he stated that, “As you see more of Quantum Break, @SunsetOverdrive and unannounced hopefully you’ll see new IP magic again.”
Spencer also revealed that the purchase of the Gears IP wasn’t because there aren’t any new IP in development. “New IP is critical. Launch of XB1 to now and I like the new IP we invested in: Ryse, Crimson Dragon, Max, Loco with SO, QB coming.” He also clarified that, “We did nothing to scrap the work BT had done prior to Gears IP acquisition.” The current stance seems to be that whatever was showcased at E3 2013 was merely a tech demo meant to announce the company.
Finally, as to whether a new big franchise – one on the scale of Forza and Halo – was coming, Spencer stated that, “I always hope everything we ship turns big of course. We have games in development with same scale and potential as those.”
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