Who is Black Tusk Studios of Microsoft? New Gears of War 4 Developer

Who is Black Tusk Studios, of the Microsoft Division? Black Tusk Studios is set to develop the next-gen Gears of War game exclusively on the Xbox One. I'll talk about what the team is, who they are looking for and what that means.

Microsoft Studios has acquired the rights to the “Gears of War” franchise from Epic Games, including rights to all existing and future games, entertainment experiences and merchandise. What does this mean for fans? It means a new Gears game with unlimited Gears Lifestyle possibilities including new clothing, toys, and console/controller bundles and themes. Bungie has plans to incorporate social media into new upcoming MMO Shooter 'Destiny', allowing players to remain connected to one another even when offline. Bungie is exploring the potential of using a mobile phone application to update players about new quests and inform them as to what their friends are doing in-game. It's possible Black Tusk is looking to connect players via their cell phone or tablet for stats and more.

Let's get down to who is behind Black Tusk Studios. Formerly Microsoft Vancouver, located in Vancouver, Canada. From them: "We are the official home of the Gears of War franchise and our objective is to forge the future of the IP and push the limits of Microsoft’s entertainment platforms and devices. Our team is comprised of deep creative and technical expertise from our industry’s top shooter and action titles, working cohesively to delight our fan base and shatter expectations of what is possible."

Why was an as-yet-unproven studio like Black Tusk chosen to lead the “Gears of War” development over a more established studio?
Phil Spencer (Head of Microsoft Studios): Black Tusk has assembled a world-class team with deep experience and passion for the shooter space, and specifically the “Gears of War” franchise. I am extremely confident that under the leadership of Hanno Lemke, Rod Fergusson and our other leaders in the studio, Black Tusk is well equipped to take on the future development of the “Gears of War” franchise.

From IGN:
The development team itself has a rich history of excellent games. The combined resume of Black Tusk's team includes Splinter Cell: Conviction, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, Crysis 2, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, God of War III, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, The Saboteur, and more.

Hanno Lemke is General Manager, Microsoft Studios
-Previously managing games such as Forza, Fable, and Ryse: Son of Rome
-General Manager of Black Tusk Studios. Oversight of studio and Gears of War franchise development.

Rod Fergusson previously Executive Producer at Epic Games and 2K Studio Executive Vice President of Development
-Now Studio Manager (Producer) at Black Tusk Studios
-Expertise in directly communicating with Fans and Game Community

Who is Black Tusk Studios looking for?
Senior Concept Artist
Minimum of 7 years in video game production. Black Tusk is looking for leader to add creative visual impact for the new Gears game.

2 Gameplay Designers
Minimum of 5 and 6 years experience. Gameplay is extremely important to Gears of War and they are looking for new talent who can think outside the box as Gears has always been a radical approach to cover based shooters.

Lead Online Services Engineer
Minimum of 10 years experience. Will be responsible for leading the Gears of War Game Services team to build the next generation of backend services to power the Gears of War Universe, on console, web and mobile. Expect a rich website experience and as previously mentioned they want to tie the mobile phones and mobile devices to the Gears experience.

Watch for updates on http://www.blacktuskstudios.com/

Gears of War 3 Ashes "Brothers to the End" Trailer

The epic story concludes April 5, 2011.

Gears 2 Dark Corners Achievement Pictures and Double Exp 4th of July

Check out the sweet pics here:
http://www.xbox360achievements.org/game/gears-of-war-2/achievements/

Gears 2 Double XP Weekend Brings a Flood of Tickers

Gears of War 2 celebrates the Fourth of July holiday with an explosive Double XP Weekend! Starting Friday, July 3, and running through the weekend, Gearheads can expect double XP in all game types, as well as bonus XP for those teams emerging victorious from battle. And if you’re in the mood for fireworks, be sure to check out the special all-Ticker rounds in every tenth wave of Horde!

Gears of War 2 War Machine Pics/Video

Exclusive pics of War Machine for Gears of War 2:




Watch the video.

Gears 2 Dark Corners DLC and Road to Ruin Update

GT preview of Memorial:


X-Play's Preview of the All Fronts Expansion pack:

Video Games - E3 2009 - X-Play

New Achievement List:
Afraid of the Dark (20)
Play a multiplayer match on each of the 7 Dark Corners Map Pack maps

Did Not Go Gentle (30)
Win a multiplayer match on each of the 7 Dark Corners Map Pack maps (any mode)

Blood on the Sand (50)
Reach level 50 in multiplayer and complete waves 1-50 on the Nowhere map in Horde

Am I Only Dreaming? (40)
Reach level 40 in multiplayer and complete waves 1-40 on the Memorial map in Horde

Like Father, Like Gun (30)
Reach level 30 in multiplayer and complete waves 1-30 on the Allfathers Garden map in Horde

Lost in Transition (20)
Reach level 20 in multiplayer and complete waves 1-20 on the Way Station map in Horde

No, But His Face Rings a Bell (15)
Reach level 15 in multiplayer and complete waves 1-20 on the Sanctuary map in Horde

Ride It All Night Long (10)
Reach level 10 in multiplayer and complete waves 1-10 on the Highway map in Horde

Be Careful What You Wish For (10)
Reach level 5 in multiplayer and complete waves 1-10 on the War Machine map in Horde

Is It Hot or Is That Just You? (25)
Kill 25 Bloodmounts with a Scorcher while playing Horde on a Dark Corners Map Pack map

Two for the Road (25)
Complete the "Road to Ruin" deleted scene in co-op as either Marcus or Dom

Highway to Hell (25)
Complete the "Road to Ruin" deleted scene after choosing the blasting option

My Way or the Highway (25)
Without being detected, complete the "Road to Ruin" deleted scene after choosing the stealth option

Gears 2 - All Fronts, Dark Corners Single Player and MP Add-On/DLC

GEARS OF WAR 2: ALL FRONTS COLLECTION

The All Fronts Collection is a formidable mountain of Gears 2 content. Containing all of the Gears 2 map packs released to date—the Flashback Map Pack, Combustible Map Pack, and Snowblind Map Pack—All Fronts features the debut of Gears of War 2: Dark Corners, a collection of seven multiplayer maps and a never-before-seen deleted campaign chapter titled “Road to Ruin” [And new Achievements adding 325 Gamer Points! -alby] In this deleted [single player campaign] scene, Marcus and Dom return to the Locust Hollow in an action-packed encounter that can be played guns blazing or silent and stealthy.








* Allfathers Garden: Don’t get caught up in the beauty—the sacred grounds of the Coalition founders can be a tremendously deadly place. Powerful weapons catalyze fast and furious action at this COG landmark.
* Memorial: It’s all about the heavy weaponry in Memorial, set near the Eternal Flame at the Tomb of the Unknowns. Take a moment to remember your fallen comrades before using your flanking and evasive skills to take control of the Boomshot and the battle.

(Similar to Mausoleum)
* Sanctuary: Tight paths, blind corners, and an arsenal of weapons—the Locust-ravaged temple in Sanctuary is no longer the haven of reflection and remembrance it once was.

(War Machine from Gears 1)
* War Machine: In this abandoned train station, players need to master the Longshot, Mulcher, and Boomshot to advance the fight while evading fire from the platforms above.

* Highway: Take the fight deep into the Locust Hollow in the complex passages of this underground highway system. Stick together, separate the enemy, and have an exit strategy ready, or it’ll be a one-way trip.
* Way Station: In the limbo between death and “processing,” you'll find Locust way stations like this one, filled with COG soldiers. Tread lightly and practice patience—it’s best to sacrifice firepower for stealth while navigating this minefield of hidden grenades.
* Nowhere: Set in the middle of the desert, Nowhere is exactly how it sounds: barren and devoid of life. The open air and long lines of sight prove useful for Longshot devotees, but expect some fierce, close combat in the stairwell.

Also included are an introduction to “Road to Ruin” from Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski, a custom Xbox LIVE theme, and a collectible Gears of War 2 poster and strategy guide. An incredible package valued over 3,600 Microsoft Points, available at retailers for just $19.99.

For those of you already rocking the previously released Gears 2 map packs, Gears of War 2: Dark Corners will also be available for individual purchase and download from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 1,600 Microsoft Points.

Epic stated that Dark Corners will offer new Achievements - "in fact, more than any previous Gears DLC" according to producer Rod Fergusson, taking the total available from Gears 2 and its add-ons to 1750 Gamer Points (up from 1425 G). That's the most allowed currently for additional achievements by DLC content.

Release Date: July 28, 2009

Alex - Female Gear from the Comics

A Girl Gear! Feast your eyes on Alex. Although Anya has been seen as Control in the games, and Bernadette Mataki is mentioned in the book as a true Gear of War soldier, this is the first time an image of a female gear has been revealed.

Jim Lee joins the Gears of War comic series and features this character in issue #9.

I'm sure this is what guys thought about when they thought of a girl Gear:

LOL

Grains of War

It's Gears of War... for breakfast!

Gears of War 2 Tournament Win, Screen Capture, and pWNAGE

You're looking at the GameStop Gears Tournament winner. I took first place along with all the goodies pictured below. I bought the Gears 2 LE.

Click here to check it out.

Check out this awesome in game picture that I took and uploaded to Gearsofwar.com

Click here to check it out.

Click here to view the rest of my uploaded pics!

This is me owning it up on a Gears 2 Ranked Public match:

Click here for the pic!

I've been having fun with a lot of you on Xbox Live. I've been trying to play a little of everything with different people. If I haven't gotten to play Gears 2 with you yet, send me an invite and a message.

Because We <3 Cliff Bleszinski, an Interview

Check out the interview here.

Gears of War 2: Last Day Commercial

Now enjoy Gears 2's Mad World Trailer: CLICK HERE TO WATCH IT FULL SIZE ON YAHOO



The song is "How It Ends" by DeVotchKa

The commercial was created all in the Unreal Engine 3 with the help of ad agency T.A.G SF, special effects house Digital Domain and director Joseph Kosinski.

"Last Day" is set to air on Nov. 2 during the NFL’s Sunday Night Football presentation of the New England Patriots at the Indianapolis Colts on NBC

Gears 2 Golden Hammerburst, Classic Maps Remade

GEARS 2 LEAKED INFO/PICS - WAR JOURNAL

*SPOILER WARNING* Here be information that is not official. Here be spoilers.

CHECK OUT THE HIGH RES PICTURES HERE FIRST: CLICK HERE.



























































































Multiplayer Characters:

COG:

- Marcus
- Dom
- Cole
- Baird
- Hoffman
- B. Carmine

Locust:

- Drone
- Sniper
- Grenadier
- Grenadier Elite
- Theron Guard
- Theron Sentinel
- Hammerhead
- Cyclops

Unlock the "Insane" difficulty level by completing the game. Progress through Gears 2 to unlock additional characters for multiplayer, including:
Ben Carmine, Dizzy Wallin, Tai Kaliso, Flame Grenadier, Kantus and Skorge need to be unlocked.

Unlock General Raam by beating Gears 1 campaign (Defeat RAAM).
Unlock Anthony Carmine from beating Act I in Gears 1.
Unlock Minh Young Kim by getting 10 COG tags in Gears 1.

NOTE: Players' Achievements in Gears 1 will unlock content in Gears 2, but they won't automatically give you Achievements in Gears 2. This content is truly exclusive and you're not going to unlock it any other way.

Multiplayer Maps:

- Avalanche
- Blood Drive
- Day One
- Hail
- Jacinto
- Pavillion
- River
- Ruins
- Security
- Stasis

Downloadable via DLC on Xbox Live:

- Gridlock Remake
- Canals Remake
- Mansion Remake
- Subway Remake
- Tyro Station Remake

New games receive a code to download these maps on day 1. November 7, 2008.

Gears of War 2 Achievements:
Green as Grass Train the rook (any difficulty) 10
It's a Trap! Story progression in Act 1, Chapter 2 10
Escort Service Story progression in Act 1, Chapter 4 10
Girl About Town Story progression in Act 1, Chapter 6 10
That Sinking Feeling Story progression in Act 2, Chapter 4 10
Freebaird! Story progression in Act 2, Chapter 5 10
Heartbroken Story progression in Act 2, Chapter 6 10
Longitude and Attitude Story progression in Act 3, Chapter 3 10
Tanks for the Memories Story progression in Act 3, Chapter 4 10
Water Sports Story progression in Act 3, Chapter 6 10
There's a Time for Us Story progression in Act 4, Chapter 2 10
Better Wrapped in Beacon Story progression in Act 4, Chapter 3 10
Have Fun Storming the Castle Story progression in Act 4, Chapter 6 10
And the Horse You Rode in On Story progression in Act 5, Chapter 1 10
You Are the Support, Son Story progression in Act 5, Chapter 2 10
Brumak Rodeo Story progression in Act 5, Chapter 4 10
Does This Look Infected to You? Story progression in Act 5, Chapter 5 10
Tourist of Duty Complete all campaign acts on Casual Difficulty 25
Guerilla Tactician Complete all campaign acts on Normal Difficulty 50
Artist of War Complete all campaign acts on Hardcore Difficulty 75
Suicide Missionary Complete all campaign acts on Insane Difficulty 150
Collector Recover 5 collectibles (any difficulty) 5
Pack Rat Recover 20 collectibles (any difficulty) 15
Completionist Recover all 41 collectibles (any difficulty) 30
One-Night Stand Complete 1 chapter in co-op on any difficulty (Marcus or Dom) 10
Open Relationship Complete 10 chapters in co-op on any difficulty (Marcus or Dom) 30
Friends with Benefits Complete all acts in co-op on any difficulty (Marcus or Dom) 50
Once More, With Feeling Perform 30 perfect active reloads (any mode) 10
Takes a Licking Melee 30 Tickers (any mode) 30
Organ Grinder Kill 30 enemies with a cover mounted Mulcher (any mode) 10
Shock and Awe Kill 30 enemies with the heavy Mortar (any mode) 10
Said the Spider to the Fly Kill 10 enemies with a planted grenade (any mode) 10
Crowd Control Melee 10 enemies down with the Boomshield equipped (any mode) 10
Smells Like Victory Kill 30 enemies with the Scorcher Flamethrower (any mode) 10
Variety Is the Spice of Death Kill an enemy with every weapon in the game (any mode) 30
Seriously 2.0 Kill 100,000 enemies (any mode) 50
Standing Here, Beside Myself Win 3 matches of Wingman (public) 10
Beat the Meatflag Capture 10 meatflags in Submission (public) 10
It's Good to be the King Win 10 rounds of Guardian as the leader (public) 10
You Go Ahead, I'll Be Fine Win three matches of King of the Hill (public) 10
Back to Basic Successfully complete the 5 lessons of multiplayer Training Grounds 10
Party Like It's 1999 Play 1999 rounds of multiplayer (any mode) 30
Around the World, Again Win a multiplayer match on each map (any mode) 30
Dirty, Dirty Horde Survive the first 10 waves of Horde (any difficulty, any map) 20
Hoard the Horde Survive all 50 waves of Horde (any difficulty, any map) 30

More pictures here.

Video:



Click here for the ART ViDOC from EPIC.

Keep your eyes on this thread.

Finally, Gears of War 2 goes Gold today. That means the final copy of Gears 2 is prepared and ready to be copied to all games for retail discs.