This is good for Microsoft but definitely shows their weakness where it matters in their first party. I really wonder what that new IP they were making was. Nevertheless, more Gears for me.

pretty much exactly what i was thinking.   this is the clearest example of a win/win i've seen in a long time.

Ugh.....give it a rest. They are building up their 1st party, the exact thing you keep pretentiously pandering about.

Gears 3 is at 6 million. Gears Judgement can be attributed to a different studio not making the same level of quality as well as not being a heavily marketed holiday release but I do agree that many IPs from the big 3 dropped off in sales with their sequels. Guess that is the business as a gen ages.

I just hope in the next round of 'upcoming exclusive games' list wars we have here semi-regularly, we can just write "fantastic new IP from Black Tusk Studios" as shorthand for saying 'Don't count your games before they've hatched/been shown/had their genre or concept mentioned"

MS article wouldn't be entertaining if S.T.A.G.E. wasn't on it.
Most folks that made Gears had left the studio, why gamble big on a project when most if not all of the envisioners left?

Building up their first party with other peoples games. Sure they invested in it, but it isnt a testament to what they would naturally make, it just interests them and they are dependent on it. Forza is the most perfect natural game Microsoft has actually made, but I guess that quality could be from all of their years investing in Flight Simulator.

The most perfect natural game Microsoft has made is Ilomilo, my good sir!

Not sure if you saw this, but he is One of US now!  Mu ha ha hah http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/thread.php?id=180959&page=1#24

I'm glad that if Epic didn't feel like working on it anymore, they would let it to to people that did.  Kind of like, if you don't want to date someone, but you want them to be happy with someone else.  You let them go on, and find their own way.