Micro-Transactions didn't help either.

This I agree with, Sony is good worldwide, but in the US, MS has the upper hand gaem wise, soyn has no shooter franchise to compete with titanfall, gears, halo, Sony needs something in the US. Sony has been real quiet although we know theire studios have unannounced projects,. Sometimes I wish sony was more aggressive, but their financial position may be hurting them.

A good move to hold onto a franchise that did very well on the 360 though I'm wondering why Epic was willing to part with it. Obviously money was involved but did they just have no intention of continuing the franchise? I'm also curious to see how well the series will do without Cliffy B at the helm. That was pretty much his baby and we saw how Judgement turned out without him leading the project. He's not the only part of a team that matters but I'd say his vision is what sold the game to begin with,

So explain why the entire internet is blowing up about it 

This is interesting news in a lot of ways.

I wonder what it means for Epic? Did they feel the series was tapped out? Are they getting out of game development and focusing on engine building? I wonder how much Microsoft paid and how much of a return they expect. They must have some pretty definitive plans if they're willing to pay for an existing franchise that many thought had run its course.

I'm a personal note, I'm kind of happy about this. I said previously that I hoped Epic would bring a new IP to Playstation instead of Gears. You can go look it up if you like. I'm not a Gears fan. On the other hand, this really is good news for those who are Gears fans, as they can get more of what they like. Best of both worlds, seems like.

I do hope this means that there really is a new IP coming from Epic.

?? I don't see anyone blowing it up, it's just being reported like every other game news story, it's always beenexclusive and people see it as an xbox franchise, nothing has changed

isnt all 4 gears of war games available digitally? and the first one is one PC (mostly digital).

if anything, it seems slightly overtracked

I'm in the minority apparently as I enjoyed Judgement (mostly loved OverRun). I think the big news here aside from acquiring the IP is that Rod Fergusson is back. Imagine it like how SOCOM people are hyped up for H-Hour just because David Sears is involved.

Either way a megaton for MS as Gears was basically THE 7th gen franchise.

Actually there is no reason any series should end as long as it has a developed Universe.  Instead, people who love a franchise should consider going in different direction or further developing the Universe.  I like how IPs are going to new studios to give them a fresh take on a series.  Even if it does not work out all the time, it does bring something different and fresh to the series.

It should be interesting how the games will develop under a new company.  I hope they have something to show this year but I doubt it.

You bring about a good point. Regardless I was planning on playing Titanfall and Killer Instinct and the Witcher 3 all on one console, so the Xbox One seems to be the one for now. Sony's games are coming, but not fast enough and seeing that I am getting both consoles this year, its not like I wont get my hands on the PS4 later. Microsoft always seems to take my attention away from Sony at the beginning of the year.