Branding is very important, and finding the right name for your game is just as important. Yet, when it comes to making a franchise, it’s not wrong to want to change things up when the names become too monotonous or confusing. For example, at E3 2018, Microsoft revealed that there would be not one, not two, but three new Gears of War titles, including the next entry in main series, Gears of War 5. However, don’t expect that to be the name you see on the cover art or future ads.
For when a reporter made a note about Gears of War 5 on Twitter, Rod Ferguson of The Coalition, the developer of the recent Gears games, replied back noting:
Thanks for the kind words. BTW it’s just Gears 5. That is what’s going to be on the box.
A very interesting statement for sure, and one that begs to ask the question, why the change in the name?
Well, Ferguson was asked that, and he responded thusly:
“Gears of War” is still the franchise name but now that we’re doing a family of products it made more sense to shorten the titles down – Gears Pop, Gears Tactics & Gears 5. Plus we always just call it Gears anyway so it feels good to simplify.
Given that three games in the Gears franchise were named to be coming out at E3 2018, it makes sense that they want to simplify things, and “Gears 5” does have a certain ring to it for sure.
Regardless of the name though, there’s a lot of pressure on the franchise now that it’s got a trio of titles coming out. While many are fine with Gears 5 coming soon, the arrival of Gears Tactics and Gears Pop are leaving some confused and worried. But as in all things, the proof will be in the pudding when the games eventually arrive.
