Microsoft owns distribution rights of Gears 1 and 2. They don't own the Gears franchise. If MS publishes Gears 3 then they will own distribution rights to Gears 3 as well. Any gears game MS publishes will not come to the NGP or any place MS doesn't want it to. But if Epic decides to go with a different publisher for future Gear games then those games can go anywhere they want it to go, including the NGP.







