‘Gears 3’ rumors grow louder – Epic president dropping hints

Posted Feb. 27, 2010 at 5:30 p.m.

‘Gears 3’ rumors grow louder – Epic president dropping hints

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Note: The Skinny blog is written by Rick Smith, editor and co-founder of Local Tech Wire and business editor of WRAL.com.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – Hints keep emerging that “Gears of War 3” is on the way with the latest ones – and strong ones at that – coming from Epic Games President Mike Capps.

Attending the Dice Summits award show at Las Vegas, Capps told VentureBeat’s Dean Takahashi that the Cary-based company would have some “exciting” news to announce at the E3 conference later this spring. Takahashi posted the video at YouTube.

“We might have a new one coming out,” Capps told Takahashi. “E3 will be very exciting for fans of Epic.” (E3 is in June in Los Angeles.)

(By the way, the next Gears of War book – Anvil Gate by best-selling sci-fi sensation Karen Traviss goes on sale Aug. 31. Amazon is taking pre-orders here.)

Capps also said that Epic was not working on an Unreal project right now. The Unreal empire was Epic’s first mega hit and triggered development of the globally used Unreal game engine. Rather, Capps said, Epic is focused on the Gears franchise.

Capps is not the only one dropping hints.

Earlier in February, Electronic Arts disclosed in a quarterly earnings call that the entertainment giant has contracted with Epic for a “new shooter” that will be released in the fourth quarter of next year.

The title wasn’t announced, but the EA announcement could be the “metagton face melting news” that Epic’s creative genius Cliffy B. Bleszinski referenced in a recent tweet on Twitter.

Focus about the EA announcement quickly shifted to a game being developed by Epic’s Poland-based subsidiary.

Back in January, Cliffy B promised some “kick a--” news.

Then came news that Gears fans awaiting a sequel could soon following heroes Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago – but NOT in an Epic Games title as crossovers in the newly announced “Lost Planet 2” from Capcom. Fenix and Santiago first showed up in a video trailer about the game.

Now comes the Capps’ interview.

Gears and Gears 2 have won multiple awards and sold millions of copies. Epic’s braintrust has turned the games into an empire ala Lord of the Rings with a movie in the works, novels, comic books, action figures – even plastic guns equipped with chainsaws just like those used by Gears’ team of Locust Horde hunters.

Capps told Takahashi that he couldn’t wait for the Gears movie to hit the studios.

“Finally,” he said grinning, “my Mom will appreciate what I do when she sees the movie.”

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Tags: Epic Games, Video game industry

The Skinny

WRAL Local Tech Wire Publisher and Editor Rick Smith dishes out tidbits from the local technology sector. Read more articles…

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