Gears of War remaster in the works for Xbox One, according to testers - report
Overnight, a rumor surfaced claiming a remastered version of the original Gears of War was coming to Xbox One. According to playtesters, it isn't a rumor at all.
Polygon first broke the story, citing a source who showed the site sreencaps of the Locust invasion with updated visuals. Screenshots of the multiplayer showing improved lighting and textures were also shown to the site, which was told this element of the game runs at 60fps.
Along with said upgrades, the game will feature reworked cutscenes which are being handled by animation studio Plastic Wax.
Another source told the site the remaster was being handled by UK-based Splash Damage. Polygon had a look at the studio's website, and found it was hiring staff to work on a "highly popular AAA title with next gen technology."
It was announced earlier this month that Gears of War cinematics director Greg M. Mitchell had left Epic Games to join Black Tusk Studios, which is in charge of developing a new title in the franchise. It's possible both firms are working on the project.
Over on Kotaku, three different sources confirmed the remaster was indeed real, as they participated in a multiplayer test build overnight. The modes tested were: Team Deathmatch; King of the Hill; 1 Life 1V1 Shotgun TDM; 1v1 Sudden Death Gnashers Only; 4v4 TDM Single Round; and 4v4 KOTH Single Round.
Microsoft purchased the Gear of War IP from Epic Games back in January 2014. The firm quickly brought in ex-Epic and Irrational Games' Rod Fergusson to head up development at Black Tusk Studios for a new Gears entry for Xbox One.
By December 2014, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said the Xbox One game had seen "massive progress" over the months, and later it was confirmed the game would be an Xbox One exclusive.
Rumors of a remastered Gears of War have surfaced before, but it was claimed the re-work was an HD trilogy dubbed "The Marcus Fenix Collection". Fergusson stated on Twitter such a collection wasn't in the works at all, but that other "exciting Gears projects," were in development, and hinted at an E3 2015 announcement.
With all of this information complied together, we expect a Gears of War Remaster to be announced at E3 - if not before - along with a look at the next entry in the Gears of War series on Xbox One.