Gears of War 3 getting Mad Catz gear

Later this year, Epic Games' Gears of War will turn once more, and players will have brand-new ways to turn them. Mad Catz today announced that it will be producing a full line of Gears of War 3 accessories to go on sale alongside the Xbox 360 third-person shooter later this year.

The peripheral maker's agreement with Epic calls for a range of officially branded accessories, including controllers, headphones, and other peripherals. Mad Catz has provided similar products for the previous two Gears of War games, including faceplates, console skins, and a hard case for transporting the Xbox 360 system itself. Last year it produced a line of accessories for the launch of another anticipated shooter, Call of Duty: Black Ops, which included military-themed controllers and branded Gunnar Optiks gaming glasses.

According to Epic Games and Microsoft, Gears of War 3 will offer an apocalyptic finale to the series. At the outset of the game, the last human city has been obliterated, with Marcus Fenix trying to protect the remaining humans from the Locust as well as a new threat, the mutating Lambeth. In a franchise first, it will also allow four players to cooperatively tackle the campaign mode.

For more on Gears of War 3, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.