— Netflix (@netflix) November 7, 2022 While announcing this piece of news, Netflix stated, “Gears of War was released 16 years ago today and to mark the occasion, Netflix has partnered with The Coalition to adapt the @GearsofWar video game saga into a live action feature film, followed by an adult animated series — with the potential for more stories to follow!” Netflix has long since been in talks with Microsoft for the right to the video game. Now, after several months of negotiations with numerous competitors, the streaming platform is the new rights-holder for the adaptation. It will partner with the title’s developer, The Coalition, to bring the adaptations to life. Before Netflix’s acquisition, several studios had attempted to adapt the game but none of their efforts yielded results. New Line Cinema was the first studio to have the game’s adaptation rights, which it purchased in 2007. Since they couldn’t make anything of it, Universal Studios came in with producer Scott Stuber to try their luck. It also hired Shane Salerno alongside The Coalition’s Rod Fergusson as scriptwriters. However, Universal’s project also didn’t see the light of day. Following the first Gears of War title’s release in 2006, Xbox Game Studios has launched four main entries and numerous spinoffs. The second entry, Gears of War 2, was released in 2003. Gears of War 3 and Gears of War 4 were released in 2011 and 2016. The series’ latest installment, Gears 5, was released in 2019. In all, the franchise has sold over 40 million units and grossed over $1 billion, making it one of the most successful and loved Xbox franchises ever. The Gears of War franchise was created by Epic Games, developed by The Coalition, and released exclusively on Xbox consoles. It is a sci-fi third-person shooter that follows a team of soldiers known as Delta Squad in their quest to defeat the Locus Horde, a subterranean reptilian hominid from Sera. The Delta Squad is led by disgraced sergeant Marcus Fenix with Dominic Dom Santiago, Damon Baird, and Augustus Cole as its members. The video game’s events take place on Sera, a fictional Earth-like planet. Netflix is yet to provide additional information on when the film will start production. The streaming behemoth has also not hired a producer, writer, or director at the moment. However, it is expected that this information will be provided soon given the adaptation’s priority level. Apart from Gears of War, Netflix has been working to adapt other high-profile video game IPs, including Splinter Cell, Bioshock, and Horizon: Zero Dawn. Given the company’s success with other video game adaptations like Cuphead, The Witcher, and Riot Games’ Arcane, fans will expect nothing short of success in these endeavors. By the way, Microsoft recently filed a new Gears of War trademark which means fans might be getting a remastered collection sooner rather than later. Also, a recent leak confirms what fans have always known which is that the Bethesda game Ghostwire: Tokyo will eventually arrive on the Xbox Series S and Series X.
