Rod Fergusson, overall nice fella and one of the driving forces behind Gears of War back when it was nothing but a single game child destined to be an Xbox 360 system-seller, is just about ready to call it a day on the franchise. Having been in charge of the series for the last couple of years over at the studio that Microsoft chose to handle development on Gears of War games specifically, Fergusson will be packing away his Lancer rifle at The Coalition and will instead be wielding a book of spells over at Blizzard.
Fergusson will be overseeing the Diablo franchise, news that came yesterday in the form of several surprising tweets from the Gears Viking. “I began working on Gears of War over 15 years ago and since then, it has been the joy of my life,” Fergusson wrote.
But now it’s time for a new adventure. I leave Gears in the great hands of The Coalition and can’t wait for everyone to play Gears Tactics on April 28. Starting in March, I will join Blizzard to oversee the Diablo franchise. Leaving is bittersweet as I love our Gears family, the fans, and everyone at The Coalition and Xbox. Thank you, it has been an honor and a privilege to work with you all.
Fergusson’s career is a lengthy one, to say the least. Having started working at Microsoft in 1996, he jumped ship to Epic Games in 2005 and even had a quick run behind the scenes on Bioshock Infinite before he ended up back at Microsoft helming The Coalition studio. With Gears of War, Fergusson had a hand in the development of every core entry in the series and oversaw its evolution into the powerhouse shooter starring massively meaty muscled men and women fighting back against extinction.
Gears 5 is a heck of a high note to go out on then, as the current game is an absolute slobber knocker of style and substance that feels like the series at its bloody best. Having that talent behind the Diablo series and the upcoming Diablo 4, has me mighty excited for what the future has in store for Blizzard’s iconic game of dungeons and devils.
On that note, one of the original Gears of War creators, Clifford Bleszinski’s probably looking for a job.
Last Updated: February 6, 2020
