Gears of War needs a reboot similar to that of the God of War series, Cliff Bleszinski has said.
Speaking to Comic Book, the Gears co-creator turned comic book scribe called on Xbox boss Phil Spencer to give him a ring for a spot of consultancy, should Microsoft greenlight such a project.
“I believe Gears needs a little bit of a reboot, like God of War had, and I’ve always said, Phil Spencer has my number, I’m happy to consult,” Bleszinski said.
Gears of War’s latest mainline release was 2019’s Gears 5, although turn-based tactics spin-off Gears Tactics launched a year later in 2020. IGN’s Gears 5 review returned a 9/10: “No matter which mode you approach it from, Gears 5 is an incredibly fun and polished game.”
However, apart from an Xbox Series X and S update for Gears 5, we haven’t heard from the franchise in years. The God of War reboot Bleszinski referred to relates to 2018’s God of War, developed by Sony Santa Monica. This was a significant and highly successful reimagining of the action game series, with big gameplay changes, an over the shoulder camera perspective, and a shift in setting. God of War spawned a sequel, 2022’s God of War Ragnarök, which became one of PlayStation’s fastest-selling games of all time.
Xbox Game Studios owns The Coalition, a flagship first-party developer home to the Gears of War franchise. According to Microsoft, the Gears of War franchise has had over 50 million unique users over the course of its lifetime.
Elsewhere, in the same interview Bleszinski was asked about movie director Zack Snyder, who in August expressed interest in making a Gears of War movie. “To be frank, I think Zack Snyder is an amazing director when he is working with existing IP,” Bleszinski replied, before giving wrestler-turned-actor Dave Bautista his seal of approval for playing Gears protagonist Marcus Fenix.
“Dave Bautista man, the dude dressed up in Gears armor online,” Bleszinski said. “He’s proven his range from the last Blade Runner movie through to him playing Drax The Destroyer and all that. In the Knock at the Cabin, he’s got great range. I think he’d be perfect for it. He’s got the body type and once again, I’m happy to give my two cents and consult, but the biggest thing I hope for is that it has heart.”
Netflix’s Gears of War movie was first officially unveiled in 2022, in addition to an adult animated series based on the game. The last we heard about it was that Jon Spaihts, best known for 2016’s Doctor Strange and 2021’s Dune, was on board to write the script, but we still haven’t heard about who could direct the adaptation. With Snyder already in the Netflix ecosystem thanks to Rebel Moon, we can’t help but speculate if he’s eyeing that project. Still, Rebel Moon will likely keep him busy for a while, with his plans to turn it into a franchise for Netflix.
But if he does decide to turn his attention to Gears of War, he’s got an easy star in Dave Bautista, who has made it extremely clear that he really, really, really, wants to play Marcus Fenix.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
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