Gears of War IP acquired by Microsoft, Rod Fergusson & Black Tusk to helm series

Gears of War has been purchased by Microsoft, bringing the rights to Epic's series in-house at Microsoft. Former Epic member Rod Fergusson has joined the company, with new first-party team Black Tusk taking over development.

GI.biz reports that he Gears of War acquisition has not been given a dollar value, and Microsoft's Phil Spencer confirmed that the deal covers all aspects of the IP – referring to all existing Gears titles and attached assets.

Microsoft's Vancouver outfit Black Tusk Studios is now in charge of the series, helmed by the studio's general manager Hanno Lemke and Rod Fergusson.

In a statement given to the site, Spencer called Black Tusk's role in the Gears of War franchises, “a big vote of confidence,” and added, "It's kind of nice he can tie the franchise, the culture, bring it all together, and really help with the talent we already have up at Black Tusk to get the franchise going with a new organization.”

Fergusson added, “I'm extremely excited to be joining Black Tusk Studios to oversee development on the Gears of War franchise. I've been privileged to work on a lot of great games with a lot of great teams, but Gears has had the most impact on me professionally and personally, so this really feels like a homecoming. I can't wait to share more with you all soon."

As for Epic, studio spokesperson Wes Philips tweeted that the company is still making games, and has multiple projects in development, including Fortnite.

Are you looking forward to see the new face of Gears of War on Xbox One? Let us know below.