Microsoft is developing a Halo: The Master Chief Collection-style compilation package themed around Gears of War, according to a new report. Nick Baker of Xbox Era revealed this on a podcast recently.
"A while back I said there is another Microsoft franchise that's getting the Master Chief Collection-type treatment, I am of the belief that that is coming this year," Baker said (via VGC), adding that this will be Gears of War.
The Master Chief Collection launched in 2014 on Xbox One, and it struggled mightily at launch with server issues and other problems. Developer 343 Industries has supported, grown, and evolved the game significantly since then, and it's now in great shape--even outperforming Halo Infinite on Steam.
The package contains all mainline Halo titles (including remastered versions of Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2), full multiplayer support, Forge, Theater, and more. The game is available on Xbox Game Pass for all subscribers.
It remains to be seen what a Gears of War-themed package might include, but presumably it would feature the main Gears of War series titles. A remastered version of the original Gears of War was released in 2015, though whether or not any additional titles would be remastered remains to be seen. The latest entry in the series was 2019's Gears 5.
A source told VGC that Gears of War developer The Coalition is in the "early stages" of the next Gears of War game, but whether or not it's Gears of War 6 or something else remains unknown. The Coalition is making at least two new games right now, but they have not been announced (one is not a Star Wars game, though).
Intriguingly, Gears 6 was among the titles featured in the big Nvidia leak, and many of the titles mentioned in the leak have since proven to be real. Also, Microsoft did not buy the Gears of War series from Epic to stop making Gears of War, so of course more games are coming.
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With Starfield and Redfall delayed to 2023, Microsoft does not have much in terms of first-party exclusives set for 2022, so a Gears of War collection could help fill the gap if it is indeed real. If the Gears of War collection is indeed real, one possible forum for its announcement could be the Xbox and Bethesda summer showcase in June.
A spokesperson for Microsoft declined to comment when approached for comment.