An online post has sparked speculation that Gears of War 6 will be bringing back a Gears of War 2 writer. Gears of War 6 will be the latest effort from The Coalition, which has been tasked with helming the Gears of War franchise since Microsoft bought the IP from former developer Epic Games.The previous game in the franchise, Gears 5 received praise as the most expansive Gears of War story to date. The game sold well, so it's surprising to see the series take a small hiatus, with only post-launch support for Gears 5 released in that time. There's also been no sign of the long-rumored Gears Ultimate Collection, which could bring the original trilogy to modern hardware.The rumor comes directly from Gears of War 2 writer Joshua Ortega, who hinted at his return on his personal Twitter account. In the thread, Ortega continued to respond to people speculating about a Gears of War return, adding fuel to the social-media fire. It could be a huge move for the franchise, which over the years has lost many of the talents that made the original games great. Faces like Cliff Bleszinski and Rod Fergusson have all moved on, and bringing Ortega back could be a huge step toward improving future releases. It should be noted that Bleszinki has offered to return to the Gears of War franchise, although this offer has gone without a response.
If the news is true, then Ortega has a tough job on his hands. The ending to Gears of War 5 was massively controversial and has essentially locked The Coalition into making tough choices about one of its characters. It's unknown what route the writers will choose to take, but the rumored recent hiring of Ortega suggests the game may be some way from release yet.
With the last Gears of War game released in 2019, fans could be forgiven for getting worried about the franchise. However, it seems like cogs are finally turning at The Coalition with rumors the company canceled two games in favor of working on Gears of War 6. Solid information on the game has been slim to non-existent, although the franchise remains a core product for Microsoft as it continues to build its library of first-party titles. With its struggles with other franchises like Halo, it wouldn't be a shock to see Microsoft have The Coalition bring in old faces and stick with what has worked in the past.
Gears of War 6 is rumored to be in development.