The Coalition (company)

History

Microsoft established the company as Zipline Studios in February 2010. The following year, Zipline released the Facebook game Relic Rescue and was renamed Microsoft Game Studios Vancouver. In February 2012, the studio released the flight simulator Microsoft Flight to mixed reviews. Citing a need to realign the company's long-term goals and development plans, Microsoft cancelled the game's development in July. This decision coincided with the cancellation of Project Columbia, an unannounced Kinect shooter game, and the layoff of all 35 employees. In November, Microsoft Game Studios Vancouver was rebranded as Black Tusk Studios and tasked with developing a major franchise for Microsoft Studios, comparable to their Halo franchise.

In 2014, Microsoft acquired the rights to the franchise Gears of War from Epic Games and commissioned Black Tusk Studios to develop future games in the series. Rod Fergusson, who had been the producer of the franchise at Epic, became the head of the studio. Black Tusk was renamed The Coalition—a reference to an entity within the Gears of War franchise, the Coalition of Ordered Governments—in June 2015. Two months later, the studio released Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, a remaster of the original Gears of War (2006), which was generally well-received by critics. Shortly before the release of Ultimate Edition, The Coalition announced Gears of War 4. Released in 2016, the game received favorable reviews and was nominated for best action game of the year at both the D.I.C.E. Awards and The Game Awards. The Coalition then collaborated with Mediatonic to develop the real-time strategy Gears Pop!, released in August 2019 to mixed reviews. The following month, the studio released Gears 5. The game was met with positive reviews and received several award nominations, including Xbox Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards, which it won.

In March 2020, Fergusson left his position to join Blizzard Entertainment, and director of operations Mike Crump assumed the role. The studio collaborated with Splash Damage to develop the turn-based tactics Gears Tactics, which was released in April and met with positive critical reception. Later that year, in December, The Coalition released Gears 5: Hivebusters, a downloadable expansion pack which also received positive reviews. In May 2021, the studio announced its transition to the Unreal Engine 5 game engine for future projects. The Coalition supported 343 Industries in the development of Halo Infinite and contributed to the Xbox Series X/S optimization of a tech demo The Matrix Awakens, both released in December. In 2023, Microsoft conducted widespread layoffs that resulted in a reduction of staff at the studio. Gears of War: Reloaded, a remastered version of the original game, is scheduled to release in August 2025 and is being co-developed by The Coalition, Sumo Digital, and Disbelief. The studio is also collaborating with People Can Fly on Gears of War: E-Day, a prequel set to launch in 2026, coinciding with the series' 20th anniversary.

Games developed

As Zipline Studios

As Microsoft Game Studios Vancouver

As The Coalition

Cancelled

• Project Columbia

Notes

References

References

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2. (May 2, 2011). "Microsoft Vancouver staffing for AAA Kinect shooter". [[Fandom, Inc.]].
3. Delaney, Mark. (February 9, 2020). "Rod Fergusson Is Leaving The Coalition to Join Blizzard".
4. Webster, Andrew. (February 6, 2012). "'Microsoft Flight' taking off on February 29". [[Vox Media]].
5. "Microsoft Flight (PC Critic Reviews)".
6. Schreier, Jason. (July 25, 2012). "Microsoft Reportedly Shuts Down Vancouver-Based Studio". [[G/O Media]].
7. Hafer, T.J.. (November 30, 2012). "Microsoft's new Black Tusk Studios, headed by ex-EA devs, looking to make the next Halo". [[Future plc]].
8. Webster, Andrew. (January 27, 2014). "Microsoft acquires the 'Gears of War' franchise from Epic Games". [[Vox Media]].
9. Nunneley, Stephany. (June 3, 2015). "Gears of War studio Black Tusk Studios has been renamed The Coalition". [[Gamer Network]].
10. Makuch, Eddie. (July 22, 2015). "Gears of War Ultimate PC Launching After Xbox One". [[Fandom, Inc.]].
11. "Gears of War: Ultimate Edition (Xbox One Critic Reviews)".
12. Dyer, Mitch. (June 15, 2015). "E3 2015: Gears of War 4: First Gameplay Details". [[Ziff Davis]].
13. Sirani, Jordan. (September 20, 2016). "Gears of War 4 Has Gone Gold". [[Ziff Davis]].
14. "Gears of War 4 (Xbox One Critic Reviews)".
15. O'Brien, Lucy. (February 24, 2017). "DICE 2017: Overwatch Wins Game of the Year at DICE Awards 2017". [[Ziff Davis]].
16. Stark, Chelsea. (December 1, 2016). "The Game Awards: Here's the full winners list". [[Vox Media]].
17. Batchelor, James. (January 21, 2019). "How Mediatonic is bringing Gears of War to mobile". [[Gamer Network]].
18. Kerr, Chris. (October 30, 2024). "Gears Pop! to shut down as long-term support becomes unfeasible". [[Informa]].
19. "Gears Pop! (iOS Critic Reviews)".
20. Kane, Alex. (June 9, 2019). "E3 2019 Trailer: 'Gears 5' Set for September Launch". [[Penske Media Corporation]].
21. "Gears 5 (Xbox One Critic Reviews)".
22. Giardina, Carolyn. (December 2, 2019). "Annie Awards: 'Frozen 2,' 'Missing Link' Lead Year of Surprises and Snubs". [[Eldridge Industries]].
23. Chalk, Andy. (January 13, 2020). "Control and Death Stranding get 8 nominations each for the 2020 DICE Awards". [[Future plc]].
24. Winslow, Jeremy. (December 13, 2019). "The Game Awards 2019: All Nominees [Update]". [[Fandom, Inc.]].
25. Hipes, Patrick. (January 8, 2020). "VES Awards Nominations: 'Lion King', 'Alita: Battle Angel', 'Mandalorian' & 'Thrones' Top List". [[Penske Media Corporation]].
26. (November 15, 2019). "Here's every winner from this year's Golden Joystick Awards, including the Ultimate Game of the Year". [[Future plc]].
27. Carey, Sean. (June 22, 2020). "Gears developer The Coalition has a new studio head". TrueGaming Network.
28. Reeves, Ben. (March 27, 2020). "Gears Tactics". [[GameStop]].
29. "Gears Tactics (PC Critic Reviews)".
30. Tolbert, Samuel. (December 14, 2020). "Gears 5 Hivebusters on Xbox and PC: Everything you need to know about this story DLC". [[Future plc]].
31. "Gears 5: Hivebusters (Xbox One Critic Reviews)".
32. Good, Owen S.. (May 10, 2021). "Gears of War maker shifts to Unreal Engine 5, winds down Gears 5 development". [[Vox Media]].
33. Ruppert, Liana. (February 24, 2021). "Halo Infinite Received Help From Gears Studio, The Coalition". [[GameStop]].
34. Tuttle, Will. (December 10, 2021). "How The Coalition Worked with Epic to Bring The Matrix Awakens to Life on Xbox Series X{{!}}S". [[Microsoft Gaming]].
35. Winslow, Levi. (January 18, 2023). "Microsoft Slashes 10K Jobs, Including At Xbox And Halo Studios". [[G/O Media]].
36. Makuch, Eddie. (May 5, 2025). "Gears Of War: Reloaded Remaster Coming To PS5, Xbox, And PC In August". [[Fandom, Inc.]].
37. Valentine, Rebekah. (March 14, 2025). "Gears of War: E-Day Co-Developer People Can Fly Signs New Project With Sony, Codenamed Project Delta". [[Ziff Davis]].
38. Warren, Tom. (June 8, 2025). "Gears of War: E-Day is coming in 2026". [[Vox Media]].