Image via Xbox Game Studios.
The original creator of Gears of War, Cliff Bleszinski, believes that the shooter franchise “needs a little bit of a reboot,” and he would be happy to provide input on that process.
He made the comments recently as part of an extensive interview with ComicBook.com. The interview focused on Bleszinski’s new comic Scrapper, yet provided opportunities to range over his history in gaming. That’s in part because Scrapper was originally envisioned as a video game while he was still employed at Epic Games. As such, the conversation turned towards the Gears of War franchise and the possibility of a reboot, with Bleszinski saying “I’ve always said, Phil Spencer has my number, I’m happy to consult. Gears will always be near and dear to my heart.”
However, he didn’t go into any detail about what that might look like beyond comparing the idea to the recent God of War reboot series. Likewise, later in the interview, the discussion turned to recent comments made by Zack Snyder about the possibility of a film adaptation of Gears of War. Bleszinski first sanctioned Guardians of the Galaxy’s Dave Bautista for the role of protagonist Marcus Fenix, before adding “once again, I’m happy to give my two cents and consult, but the biggest thing I hope for is that it has heart.”
Instead, talk turned to how he still looks up certain clips on YouTube to read the comments and reflect on the reactions they express: “I like to eat prime rib steak and sushi sometimes, but you just want to know that your work makes [an impact]. Reading the comments on those cut scenes from Gears of War when Dom dies, people are like, ‘I had to put the controller down, my friend and I just sat there silenced and stunned.’ For people to actually get tattoos of something that you made on their bodies is the most flattering thing.”
After creating the Gears of War franchise and leading development on the first three entries, Bleszinski left Epic Games in 2012. His next venture was the founding of Boss Key Productions in 2014 and the misfire that was LawBreakers, before he retired from the games industry in 2018 to focus on other creative ventures including theater and Scrapper.