Gears of War
Updated: 12/10/2025, 9:08:37 PM Wikipedia source
Gears of War (also referred to as Gears) is a media franchise centered on a series of video games created by Epic Games, developed and managed by The Coalition, and owned and published by Xbox Game Studios. The franchise is best known for its third-person shooter video games, which has been supplemented by spin-off video game titles, a DC comic book series, eight novels, a board game adaptation and various merchandise. The original trilogy focuses on the conflict between humanity and the subterranean reptilian humanoid known as the Locust Horde on the world of Sera. The first installment, Gears of War, was released on November 7, 2006, for the Xbox 360. The game follows protagonist Marcus Fenix, a soldier in the Coalition of Ordered Governments tasked to lead a last-ditch effort to destroy the Locust Horde and save humanity. Two subsequent titles, Gears of War 2 (2008) and Gears of War 3 (2011), featured a three-way conflict between humanity, the Locust Horde and their mutated counterparts, the Lambent. Gears of War: Judgment, a spin-off prequel to the series' first title, was released in 2013; it focuses on Damon Baird, one of Fenix's squad-mates. Gears of War: Ultimate Edition was released for the Xbox One and Microsoft Windows between August 2015 to March 2016. The fourth installment in the main series, Gears of War 4, is set 25 years after Gears of War 3 and follows Marcus Fenix's son, JD and his friends as they battle security forces deployed by a totalitarian COG government as well as the Swarm, a reconstituted version of the Locust Horde that once again threatens humanity. Gears 5 (2019) is the direct sequel to Gears of War 4 and revolves around Kait Diaz, a friend of JD, who embarks on an adventure to learn the truth about her past and the connections between her history and the Locust Horde. Gears of War was developed by Epic Games. Cliff Bleszinski, who has previously worked on Epic's Unreal Tournament games, served as the series' lead game designer for the first three installments. He was inspired by gameplay elements from Resident Evil 4. Kill Switch, and Bionic Commando. The series was guided by Rod Fergusson, the executive producer and director of development of Epic Games until 2012. The first four installments of the Gears of War series used a modified version of the Unreal Engine 3 engine. In January 2014, Microsoft acquired rights to the franchise from Epic Games. Canadian studio The Coalition developed Gears of War 4, which was released on October 11, 2016, for the Xbox One and Windows 10. A sequel, Gears 5, was released in September 2019. All six installments in Gears of War featured several multiplayer modes that allowed players to compete against each other or team-up to battle AI opponents on Xbox Live. Gears of War became one of the best-selling franchises for the Xbox 360. The series puts emphasis on cover-based combat, in which players can use objects to avoid gunfire or safely engage enemies. The Gears of War games have been amongst the most popular and most played titles on Xbox Live.
Infobox
Tables
| 2006 | Gears of War |
| 2007 | |
| 2008 | Gears of War 2 |
| 2009 | |
| 2010 | |
| 2011 | Gears of War 3 |
| 2012 | |
| 2013 | Gears of War: Judgment |
| 2014 | |
| 2015 | Gears of War: Ultimate Edition |
| 2016 | Gears of War 4 |
| 2017 | |
| 2018 | |
| 2019 | Gears Pop! |
| Gears 5 | |
| 2020 | Gears Tactics |
| 2021 | |
| 2022 | |
| 2023 | |
| 2024 | |
| 2025 | Gears of War: Reloaded |
| 2026 | Gears of War: E-Day |
| Game | Metacritic |
| Gears of War | (PC) 87/100(X360) 94/100 |
| Gears of War 2 | (X360) 93/100 |
| Gears of War 3 | (X360) 91/100 |
| Gears of War: Judgment | (X360) 79/100 |
| Gears of War: Ultimate Edition | (PC) 73/100(XONE) 82/100 |
| Gears of War 4 | (PC) 86/100(XONE) 84/100 |
| Gears 5 | (PC) 82/100(XONE) 84/100(XBSX) 83/100 |
References
- IGNhttps://www.ign.com/articles/2013/03/18/gears-of-war-judgment-review
- "Gears of War: Ultimate Edition and Killer Instinct coming to Windows 10"http://gematsu.com/2015/06/gears-war-ultimate-edition-killer-instinct-coming-windows-10
- DualShockershttps://web.archive.org/web/20161222033452/http://www.dualshockers.com/2016/03/08/gears-of-war-4-gets-tons-of-new-details-on-game-informer/
- NowGamerhttp://www.nowgamer.com/features/1619006/cliff_bleszinski_his_last_gears_of_war_interview.html
- Gameplanethttps://web.archive.org/web/20140201135410/http://www.gameplanet.com.au/xbox-360/news/g52e6beecbe745/MS-buys-Gears-franchise-Black-Tusk-has-the-reins/
- Polygonhttp://www.polygon.com/2014/1/27/5345342/gears-of-war-xbox-one-microsoft-epic-games-rod-fergusson
- Mastering Unreal Technology, Volume I: Introduction to Level Design
- GamesRadarhttps://www.gamesradar.com/unreal-engine-4-games-coming-2013-epic-lead-own-titles/
- Eurogamerhttp://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-01-27-epic-sells-gears-of-war-to-microsoft
- TechRadarhttp://www.techradar.com/us/news/gaming/consoles/has-gears-of-war-killed-off-microsoft-s-hot-new-xbox-one-game--1220075
- Co-Optimushttp://www.co-optimus.com/article/11360/gears-of-war-franchise-now-fully-owned-by-microsoft.html
- Eurogamerhttp://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-01-23-the-most-popular-games-on-xbox-live-in-2012-were
- Gearshttp://www.gamespot.com/news/6167213.html?action=convert&om_clk=latestnews&tag=latestnews;title;0
- Gamespothttps://www.gamespot.com/articles/gears-5-patch-nerfs-the-series-most-divisive-gun/1100-6473632/
- "Gears of War 4's developers have worked out why the Gnasher sometimes misses point blank"https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-03-08-it-turns-out-gears-of-war-4s-gnasher-sometimes-missed-point-blank-because-bullets-fired-from-inside-the-gun
- Gears of Warhttp://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/no-gears-of-war-release-for-germany
- "Gears of War remaster set for Xbox One – report"http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-04-24-gears-of-war-remaster-set-for-xbox-one-report
- Gears of War 2https://web.archive.org/web/20110607070615/http://www.gamepro.com/games/xbox360/140321/gears-of-war-2/
- "Gametrailers.com – Epic Games – GDC 2008: Unreal Engine Tech Demo"http://www.gametrailers.com/player/30824.html
- "Gears of War 3 gets a release date – and a teaser trailer"https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2010/apr/13/gears-of-war-trailer
- "Gears of War 3 Details Emerge"https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/05/12/gears-of-war-3-details-emerge
- "Gears of War 4 Release Date Confirmed, Box Art Revealed"http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gears-of-war-4-release-date-confirmed-box-art-reve/1100-6438297/
- Polygonhttp://www.polygon.com/2016/3/8/11180974/gears-of-war-4-voice-cast
- VG247https://www.vg247.com/2018/06/10/gear-war-5-release-date-trailer/
- The Vergehttps://www.theverge.com/24172052/gears-6-xbox-summer-game-fest-trailer
- "Reinventing a Mad World: Why Gears of War: E-Day Represents the Future of the Series"https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2024/06/09/gears-of-war-e-day-interview-details-xbox-games-showcase-2024/
- "Gears of War: Judgment – Xbox 360"https://web.archive.org/web/20120604072232/http://www.ign.com/games/gears-of-war-project/xbox-360-135402
- "Know Your COGs: The Cast Of Gears Of War: Judgment – Features"https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2012/06/13/know-your-cogs-the-cast-of-gears-of-war-judgment.aspx
- gamespot.comhttps://www.gamespot.com/articles/gears-tactics-coming-to-xbox-says-coalition-head/1100-6469327/
- YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXMZoMluCi4
- Terminal Gamerhttp://terminalgamer.com/2010/01/26/gears-of-war-and-lost-planet-2-cross-paths
- EventHubshttp://www.eventhubs.com/news/2016/jun/13/general-raam-revealed-killer-instinct-season-3-playable-free-week/
- "Gamescom 2015: Every Gears of War Game Will Be Backward Compatible on Xbox One"https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/08/03/gamescom-2015-every-gears-of-war-game-will-be-backward-compatible-on-xbox-one
- "Games Featuring FPS Boost"https://news.xbox.com/en-us/fpsboost
- "Review of "Gears of War" soundtrack"https://web.archive.org/web/20070818025626/http://www.moviemusicuk.us/gearswarcd.htm
- Gears of War 2https://web.archive.org/web/20081113152104/http://music.ign.com/articles/924/924025p1.html
- dualshockers.comhttps://web.archive.org/web/20160827190313/http://www.dualshockers.com/2016/08/26/game-of-thrones-composer-creating-score-for-gears-of-war-4/
- Gears 5 (Original Soundtrack) by Ramin Djawadihttps://music.apple.com/us/album/gears-5-original-soundtrack/1477992111
- Gears 5 (Original Soundtrack)https://open.spotify.com/album/2Bjtwxiu7f0XWoYWGHEjcm
- Gears of Warhttps://www.ign.com/articles/2008/07/21/epic-games-and-del-rey-announce-novels-in-the-gears-of-war-video-game-universe
- "Gears of War: Ascendance Novel will be written by Jason M. Hough"https://geektyrant.com/news/gears-of-war-ascendance-novel-will-be-written-by-jason-m-hough
- Gears of War 2https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/07/27/sdcc-08-gears-of-war-2-panel-report
- "Gears of War: Jacinto's Remnant"https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/180101/gears-of-war-jacintos-remnant-by-karen-traviss/
- "Gears of War: Anvil Gate"https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/7895/gears-of-war-anvil-gate-by-karen-traviss/
- Gears of Warhttp://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/52296
- Ortega & Sharp on Gears of War Comic Archived June 6, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Newsarama, July 24, 2008http://www.newsarama.com/comics/080723-GearsofWarcomic.html
- Sharp's Exclusive Gears of War Comic News Archived August 13, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Comicon, August 11, 2008http://www.comicon.com/ubb/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=372151#Post372151
- gamespot.comhttps://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-line-grabs-gears-movie-rights/1100-6167729/
- Gears of Warhttps://www.ign.com/articles/2007/03/21/gears-of-war-gearing-up-at-new-line
- "Len Wiseman officially announced as "Gears of War" director"http://cinecon.com/news/1595/len-wiseman-officially-announced-as-gears-of-war-director/
- Varietyhttps://variety.com/2008/film/news/wiseman-suits-up-for-gears-of-war-1117987552/
- "A Day In The Life: Chris Morgan"https://web.archive.org/web/20170824215624/http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/687448/A_Day_In_The_Life_Chris_Morgan.html
- "'Gears Of War' Screenwriter Aims For 'Gritty And Real' Big-Screen Version Of Video Game"https://web.archive.org/web/20081101042948/http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1598150/story.jhtml
- "Producer Reveals "Gears of War" Movie Details"https://web.archive.org/web/20100428205108/http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline.php?id=16053&count=0#ixzz0aY3AwERt
- "'Gears of War' Video Game Adaptation Stalls"https://web.archive.org/web/20110705100805/http://www.newsinfilm.com/2010/04/06/gears-of-war-video-game-movie-adaptation-stalls/
- "'Gears of War' turning for film adaptation (Exclusive)"https://variety.com/2012/film/news/gears-of-war-turning-for-film-adaptation-exclusive-1118060511/
- Varietyhttps://variety.com/2013/film/news/scott-stuber-game-for-gears-of-war-movie-1200412653/
- IGNhttps://www.ign.com/articles/2016/10/05/gears-of-war-movie-confirmed
- Deadline Hollywoodhttps://deadline.com/2017/05/gears-of-war-movie-shane-salerno-writing-universal-pictures-microsoft-studios-dylan-clark-1202083159/
- The Wraphttps://www.thewrap.com/f-scott-frazier-gears-of-war-universal/
- IGNhttps://www.ign.com/articles/2019/06/17/the-gears-of-war-movie-is-set-in-an-alternate-reality-ign-first
- The Hollywood Reporterhttps://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/gears-of-war-franchise-feature-film-animated-series-adaptations-netflix-1235256913/
- Varietyhttps://variety.com/2023/film/news/gears-of-war-writer-jon-spaihts-netflix-1235559889/
- Colliderhttps://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/gears-of-war-movie-david-leitch-director-1236212544/
- "NECA signs with Epic Games"https://web.archive.org/web/20090822185223/http://www.necaonline.com/article/detail/126
- Gears of Warhttp://www.oafe.net/poe/necapsgwmf.php
- Gears of Warhttp://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/52919
- "GI's 2008 Holiday Buying Guide," Game Informer 188 (December 2008): 40.
- Gears of Warhttps://www.metacritic.com/game/gears-of-war/critic-reviews/?platform=pc
- Gears of Warhttps://www.metacritic.com/game/gears-of-war/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-360
- Gears of War 2https://www.metacritic.com/game/gears-of-war-2/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-360
- Gears of War 3https://www.metacritic.com/game/gears-of-war-3/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-360
- Gears of War: Judgmenthttps://www.metacritic.com/game/gears-of-war-judgment/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-360
- Gears of War: Ultimate Edition for Windows 10https://www.metacritic.com/game/gears-of-war-ultimate-edition/critic-reviews/?platform=pc
- Gears of War: Ultimate Editionhttps://www.metacritic.com/game/gears-of-war-ultimate-edition/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-one
- Gears of War 4https://www.metacritic.com/game/gears-of-war-4/critic-reviews/?platform=pc
- Gears of War 4https://www.metacritic.com/game/gears-of-war-4/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-one
- "Gears 5 for PC Reviews"https://www.metacritic.com/game/gears-5/critic-reviews/?platform=pc
- "Gears 5 for Xbox One Reviews"https://www.metacritic.com/game/gears-5/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-one
- "Gears 5 for Xbox Series X Reviews"https://www.metacritic.com/game/gears-5/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-series-x
- IGNhttps://www.ign.com/articles/2013/09/20/the-top-25-xbox-360-games-4?page=1
- "Xbox 360 Vs. PS3: Round 10 (Exclusive Games part 2)"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5l4JNYnLgI
- Game Informerhttps://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2011/02/16/guinness-names-top-50-video-game-characters-of-all-time.aspx
- Forbeshttps://www.forbes.com/sites/danielnyegriffiths/2014/01/27/microsoft-acquires-gears-of-war-from-epic-assigns-next-game-to-black-tusk-studios/
- USA Todayhttps://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/gaming/2014/01/27/microsoft-gears-of-war/4936595/
- GamesIndustry.bizhttp://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2017-01-12-microsoft-epic-sued-over-gears-of-war-character
- "Hamilton v. Speight"https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=3420d7d0-5df0-41c4-a69f-2c8ac56953c4
- SCOTUSBloghttps://www.scotusblog.com/2021/03/video-game-characters-and-veterans-benefits/
- World IP Reviewhttps://www.worldipreview.com/news/wrestler-s-likeness-suit-vs-epic-games-microsoft-ko-d-by-scotus-21470
- Den of Geekhttps://www.denofgeek.com/us/games/uncharted/278766/how-gears-of-war-inspired-uncharted