Gears of War for Apple products? Forget about it, thanks to Microsoft

If you had ever hoped to see Gears of War show up for your Mac or iPad, it's pretty safe to assume it's never going to happen. On Monday Microsoft Studios confirmed it has acquired the game series from developer Epic Games, according to GamesIndustry International.

Gears of War is the popular third-person action game franchise developed for Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. It's spawned sequels and expansion packs. The game is a futuristic shooter in which the troops of an elite squad of soldiers battles against a subterranean alien enemy.

The game uses Epic's Unreal Engine, which Epic has ported to different platforms including OS X and iOS. In fact, it's been used for iOS games like the Infinity Blade series. That cross-platform support made some Apple gamers wonder if Gears of War might ever see a Mac or iOS treatment. Even Donald Mustard, head of Chair Entertainment, Infinity Blade's developer, once thought Gears could run on the iPhone.

Gears for Apple devices was, quite frankly, always a longshot, as the series has been exclusive to Microsoft platforms since it launched. Still, the possibility remained — even for the head of Microsoft's game studios, Phil Spencer. Spencer was asked by Kotaku in November about the possibility of Gears remaining an Xbox exclusive. It was up to Epic, he said at the time.

With Microsoft buying the game property outright from Epic, Gears will stay locked on Microsoft hardware and software. From here on out, Microsoft is going to make sure the property remains a showcase game for their platforms.

Source: GamesIndustry International