14 DAY TRIAL // Video game developer Epic Games has announced that it is planning to unveil a new installment in the Gears of War franchise at the upcoming E3 2012 trade event, which will only be available on the Xbox 360 home console from Microsoft.
Details of the game are not yet available and more information will be offered during next week, although the company is unlikely to talk too much about story and gameplay mechanics at such an early stage.
It’s not clear whether Epic Games plans to use Unreal Engine 4 to create the new Gears of War game, considering that it has publicly stated that it is designed to work with the next generation of home consoles.
Gears of War was always a flagship title for Microsoft, designed to show off the graphical capabilities of its hardware, and it’s a surprise to see that the new installment will be linked to the ageing Xbox 360 rather than to its successor.
The first Gears of War game was launched in 2006 and the series has since then managed to sell more than 16 million copies all over the world, with 3 million of them moving to players during the first week of availability for Gears of War 3 last year.
Rod Fergusson, who is the director of production at Gears of War, has also told fans via Twitter that, “With the announce of the new Gears game, I can confirm that there’s no more DLC for Gears 3.”
He added, “But we’re still having Gears Weekends and community events and playlists – lots of fun still to come.”
It’s also not clear whether the new Gears of War will use the same core cast of characters or whether the developers are planning of creating a whole new saga set in the same universe and with familiar enemies.