Industrygamers
Gears of War 3 may be the "most anticipated game of 2011" according to Ipsos, and Microsoft has promised that it'll be the "biggest entertainment event" in 2011, but the game's designer, Cliff Bleszinski, is a bit more cautious when it comes to sales expectations. After all, this fall/holiday is going to be extremely crowded with hot titles likeUncharted 3, Battlefield 3, Modern Warfare 3, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim... to name just a few. On top of that, Gears 3 is exclusive to Xbox 360 and therefore can't benefit from the multiplatform installed bases. That said, Bleszinski and Epic are doing everything they can to make it the best Gears yet, and fans will no doubt be eager to see how the trilogy closes. "If you come out in September, then you actually have a chance of several holiday bumps." When asked what sales target he has in mind [Gears 1 & 2 combined have sold over 12 million - Ed.], Bleszinski told us, "Definitely over 6 million, obviously. But deep down, just to be perfectly candid and honest, I would die if we hit 10 - that would be phenomenal. But I can only pray and hope. It’s up to the gamers to vote with their wallets." Bleszinski is more than confident in the game's quality and that gamers will get a lot of value for their $60. We asked him what his primary objectives were with Gears 3 when he started development, and he answered, "Well, the first thing we wanted the online to actually f***ing work. I hear that’s kind of important in this day and age. So…Gears 2, the first month was pretty rough, but we managed to iron out a lot of the issues. But still, dedicated servers, man. That’s crucial. I think if you’re going to make a shooter that they’re really necessary. So the difference we have now, though, it’s just amazing how cool it is, how smooth it is, how wonderfully it plays online." He continued, "We also wanted to provide a satisfying campaign that really was nice and meaty, that really wrapped up a lot of that story element. I can’t talk too much about it, but there’s some nice twists and turns in there, some highs and some lows, and ultimately, ending up being very, very satisfying. And we also wanted to deliver a game that has enough stuff so people don’t see it as a campaign rental. So you have Beast Mode, you have Horde mode, great versus multiplayer, a great campaign... hard to deny it. So we want a $60 day one game that people want to keep forever." As for dealing with the crowded holiday, especially the Call of Duty vs. Battlefieldshowdown, Bleszinski admitted that "there's a little overlap," but he's hopeful people will still choose Gears 3 and hang onto for a prolonged period. "Of course it concerns me. Well, when you haveEA throw a $100 million dollar marketing at it we're like, 'Hey Microsoft, pony up some more money.' With that said, those two are going head to head in November, and we have a good month and a half before then and I’m hoping if we get enough of that installed base of people who are hooked on our system of ribbons and unlockables and achievement points, gamers will be like, 'Damnit, no, I have to buy either Call of Duty or Battlefield, cause I’m keeping Gears.' That’s what we’re hoping for. Finally, Bleszinski also confirmed that shipping Gears 3 on September 20 was a Microsoft decision, but it seems to be one he's quite happy with. "If you come out in September, then you actually have a chance of several holiday bumps. You get September, you get Black Friday, then you get all the money the kids get after Christmas they spend with their gift cards on the games; so sometimes you get a double, or triple bump. We just want to make sure enough people get their hands on it and their eyes on it to see that this is a great game. It’s really polished up amazingly online, so they’ll hopefully stick with it," he said. 
