Could Epic be developing a Gears of War MMO?

We all know the Gears of War universe is expanding every day, thanks to the huge success Gears 1 and 2 have received on the Xbox 360 this last couple of years. Gears of War has been a benchmark left by Epic for all shooters to achieve. There have been comics, action figures, and even plans for a movie based on the franchise, and the continued support by Epic for Gears 2 has kept the community alive. Apart from the obvious Gears of War 3, how else can Epic expand the franchise even further? How about an MMO? Yeah, sounds crazy to us, too, but our friends over at Blend Games have uncovered some information that sounds like the folks at Epic may be developing an MMO of their own.

This information consists of Epic Games hiring new staff for a yet unannounced project. One of the positions available is for a server programmer for scalable systems. This means hiring someone who has the capability to program a system that can adjust to volume and growth. Blend Games believe that since scalability is being used in conjunction with a server programmer, they presume that this could imply a system model designed for MMOs. That’s not a bad presumption, considering the facts given. To add more fuel to the fire, Epic recently joined up with ViVox for their Integrated Partnership program for the Unreal Engine. ViVox provides software platforms with integrated community voice support in...yeah you guessed it, MMOs.

If any of this is true, it would fit well with that supposed 10-year life cycle Epic games has planned for the Gears of War franchise. Although that was later shot down by Mark Rein, one still has to wonder. Before you go out screaming that there is a Gears MMO, however, we must consider the other options. Unreal Tournament is much better suited to become an MMO than the story-driven Gears of War is. Considering it’s an all out frag-fest in UT, it won’t be so hard to turn it to a MMO; look at Huxley for example of what an UT MMO could look like. Basically it would be the same, but better-looking and with Epic’s name all over it.

An MMO would expand the franchise, but would be a risky move. No one knows what’s coming for sure, but one thing is certain: an Epic MMO is mouth-watering, no matter which franchise it involves. As for a Gears of War -themed MMO...

TGR Rating: Unlikely