Gears of War ruled the gaming world in the 2000s and, being an Xbox-exclusive series, has been largely tied to Microsoft’s proprietary console. As the market shifts towards fewer exclusives, one former Gears developer wants to see the iconic Xbox franchise brought to Sony’s PlayStation.
Speaking to GameSpot on March 8, former Gears of War chief designer Cliff Bleszinski commented on Microsoft’s recent push towards bringing more of its first-party titles to rival platforms. He spoke of Microsoft’s “Netflix model,” which began with the Xbox Game Pass and soon crossed to other platforms. “I think that’s what Phil Spencer’s going for. He’s going for the Netflix model. That started with Xbox Game Pass and then, like Netflix, they realized they need to be on every device,” Beszinski said. He openly endorsed the idea of seeing Gears on PlayStation, saying “The more the merrier.”
“If people own a PS5 and get to play and experience the next-gen Gears games, that means more Gears of War tattoos,” Bleszinski joked. Bleszinski’s comments come after Microsoft has recently begun pushing for less platform exclusivity, deciding to bring several games to rival devices such as the PlayStation. Pentiment, Sea of Thieves, Hi-Fi Rush, and Grounded are some of the first titles Microsoft will be bringing to PlayStation and Nintendo, with more likely to come as the company expands its gaming division through first-party acquisitions.
Gears of War was originally developed by Epic Games, now known mostly for Fortnite and the Unreal Engine, and was acquired by Microsoft in 2014. Even so, the franchise has been exclusive to Microsoft’s consoles since its inception in 2006 and only a few games landed on other platforms like Steam. Bleszinski himself wanted to return for a potential series revival in the form of Gears of War 6, but it remains to be seen what Microsoft will do with the iconic Xbox shooter franchise.
