Gears trailer hits theaters, development on track

Trailer for Gears of War to be shown before five R-rated theatrical releases beginning this month; Cliffy B. won't rule out film version, Rein says game on track.

In the old days, half the fun of seeing a movie in the theaters was sitting through the 10 minutes of previews before the main event. More recently, advertisers have been using the captive audience to peddle soda, cars, and whatever else they can, making getting an early seat much less appealing.

Times are changing, for gamers at least, as more publishers are blurring the line between films and games by promoting upcoming games before movies, as was the case with Halo 2 and Advent Rising.

The latest to join the ranks is Epic Games' Gears of War. On the game's official forums, Epic prez Mike Capps posted a note saying the trailer for Cliffy B's sci-fi shooter will be shown before Miami Vice, Pulse, A Scanner Darkly, Clerks 2, and Little Miss Sunshine. All the movies are rated R for Restricted--the film equivalent of Gears of War's all but assured M-for-Mature rating.

Though Capps says gamers will likely have already seen the trailer, the new promotion will give them a chance to "see it on a massive theater screen and hear it in badass 5.1."

As for Gears making it to the big screen proper, famed game maker Cliff Bleszinski didn't rule out the possibility. In an interview with Xbox.com, he said, "The only way we'd ever consider doing a film of our property would be if the absolute right people were attached who understood not only the game and its universe but also the (hopefully!) rabid fanbase that we'd like to acquire."

The game itself appears to be on schedule, but, like the insectoid horde that impedes the progress of Gears' space marines, Epic's Mark Rein cautions that the game may face its own bugs.

While speaking to GameSpot, he said, "We're working very hard to make sure it hits [this holiday season]. You know what could prevent that from happening? Bugs. Maybe we hit a roadblock. Maybe some last little bit of content or code doesn't work as well. Or maybe it takes us a little longer to optimize or fix this or do that, or implement an unfinished feature."

Rein emphasizes that quality over punctuality is Epic's creed. "What we're saying is that we won't sacrifice quality for release date. To tell somebody it's going to be out this particular date or that particular date, it's a lie because all we could ever say is 'We're shooting towards this [date].' We've said we're shooting to have it in stores in time for the holidays. Right now it's looking pretty good. I think it will make it, but fingers crossed."

74 Comments

  • DatDude08

    Posted Jul 23, 2006 5:55 pm PT

    Somebody take a camera and gets us the trailer . Well I guess ill have to sneak in an R movie and see it.

  • sheik026

    Posted Jul 22, 2006 9:48 pm PT

    I went and saw Clerks 2 today. Not only did I really want to see the movie, I was also really excited about the trailer for GoW. But when I went and saw it, what the hell??!? There wasn't a trailer for it. I was royally pissed...

  • insanewolfninja

    Posted Jul 19, 2006 9:58 pm PT

    I would probally wathc clerks to see it.

  • trekkerguy

    Posted Jul 18, 2006 1:05 am PT

    Awesome, now i'll have to see Miami Vice first day.

  • bradyboy5

    Posted Jul 16, 2006 9:23 am PT

    Gears of war will be a killer game %100.

  • Sydwynder

    Posted Jul 15, 2006 1:47 pm PT

    If this game doesn't ship this year, there' s not one game I'm looking forward to for the 360.

    THat sucks.

  • jeebs213

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 4:59 pm PT

    luckily Century Theaters has pretty much a monopoly in my area and they don't show commercials, just trailers. But a gears of war one would be welcomed by me.

  • i_love_my_ds

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 3:51 pm PT

    I havent seen a game trailer in theaters yet, but it sounds pretty cool

  • PopnFresh

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 11:42 am PT

    How long does something have to be around before it's no longer considered a new trend? Thanks for specifically pointing out how videogame publishers are leaning towards this new idea, I didn't realize that back when Sega and Square were using theaters for trailer advertisements OVER A HALF DECADE AGO.

    Just kidding. Much love.

  • _Sam_

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 10:52 am PT

    Is it viewable online?

  • xavier14

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 10:29 am PT

    I can't freaking wait this game is made from prob the best fps shooter company epic games. i mean come on they made unreal which is 1 of the best fps 2 date. i can't wait it will help out the 360 (like they need it since its already great ) but it will help it out more and kill the ps3 and wii even more

  • slayaz

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 9:25 am PT

    I think this is fantastic targeted advertising. Mainly men between 18-30 has got to be the ideal market.

    Good work!

  • juvinwo1

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 8:40 am PT

    good, a little extra advertising never hurt anyone

  • Zweihanderhero

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 6:59 am PT

    A bit off topic but i suggest NOBODY watch Pulse...it sucks really really bad...

  • rynmls

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 2:55 am PT

    good for them...

  • chaos_theory_09

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 9:41 pm PT

    I think this is a great idea. It will open up the eyes of many gamers who haven't yet heard about this game yet, and may help to move some more 360's themselves. I'd love to see microsoft do a lot more of this kind of thing, to further pad their lead in the next gen console war.

  • soulknight63133

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 9:01 pm PT

    Not everyone who goes to movies are gamers let alone even heard of Gears of War. So showing the trailor on the big screen still has merit by exposing casual or non-gamers to it.

  • comthitnuong

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 6:23 pm PT

    this will probaly boost sales for the game

  • mike_mgoblue

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 6:04 pm PT

    I sure do hope that Gears of War runs at 60 Frames Per Second with Full Screen Anti Aliasing like Call of Duty 2. Call of Duty 2 was sooooo smooth.

  • Imavnas

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 4:32 pm PT

    Gamespot itself has a Q2 07' release date for Mass Effect:
    http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/rpg/masseffect/index.html

    and EBGames/Gamestop both have 07' release dates for it (last I checked an EB it was slated for Febuary 07', but it might have been changed to a Q2 07' release date their by now as well). Thus far no site ive visited is reporting the game as an 06' launch anymore. Basically, its pretty soild that its not releasing anytime this year.

  • kinncolts

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 4:24 pm PT

    i think it already is goin to be delayed...or they;re thinking about it....

    becuz why else wud he say that "bugs could slow us down and not make us release it on time"?

    and does anyone know if Mass Effect really got moved?

  • redgamer63

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 3:59 pm PT

    couldnt they put it before superman or pirates or a good movie
    but the game is gonna be the BIGGEST game on 360...till halo 3
    (2 bad my 360 broke yesterday)(gettin new one and sellin old 1)

  • Imavnas

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 3:57 pm PT

    Currently the 360 has some considerable momentum against Sony's yet to be released PS3. Even with the insane price, the PS3 will still sell out to the hardcore fans though, as their are assuredly more than 2 million hardcore Sony fans out there. But if Gears of War, the 360's killer app for the remainder of the year fails to show before the holidays wind down, Microsoft may see itself losing all of that momentum. Its not like the PS3 would kill the 360 or anything even remotely close to that. Its just that if Gears gets delayed, come March 07' you might see sales for PS3 hardware units coming upon the then current 360 hardware sales, and Microsoft would have lost what it tried to gain by launching a year before the rest of the industry.

  • Imallvol7

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 3:44 pm PT

    I would definitely like to see Gears of War delayed than released with bugs (more reason to hate 360 then). However, Gears of War has to release this Christmas in order to compete with PS3 and Wii. Otherwise, the 360 is just a box.

  • Imallvol7

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 3:40 pm PT

    Could they pick worse movies to show it before?

  • Sandman100

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 3:35 pm PT

    GOW is going to rock. I'll see the trailer when I go see Miami Vice. It's going to kill the PS3, and sell consoles. So it needs to come out this holiday, and it need's to be great.

  • Igwababa

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 3:23 pm PT

    Now I actaully want to go to the movies......

  • xRandyx

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 3:20 pm PT

    genious...

  • shockwave04

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 2:59 pm PT

    I don't care when it comes out I just want ti to be great.

  • kaziechameleon

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 2:52 pm PT

    i want it so bad, the 360 needs a great next gen game, though it has many good games, there are few that keep me playing after a week or two like halo2 did.

  • Imavnas

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 2:52 pm PT

    "Who cares if it doesn't make holiday? So what if Cliffy B promised Bill Gates on camera? Emergence Day 200... huh? Sure it would suck for 360's market push, but at the end of the day "quality over punctuality is Epic's creed." As bad as it would look for M$, I'd much rather wait until 2007 for a polished product."

    The 360 NEEDS Gears to be out this year. Mass Effect got moved, and that was the only other HUGE killer app the 360 had releasing this year. If Gears gets pushed, only the few who never picked up a 360 will consider it, and ONLY if Nintendo has huge shortages. Count on the Wii to take in any sales that the PS3 and/or 360 dont make, and the lack of Gears will have gamers flocking to systems with actual recognizable titles, i.e. at the moment, Nintendo's Wii. Getting end of year sales is also critical for the 360, because in 07 the PS3 will be gaining its momentum with killer apps of its own, as well as a price drop (at least according to Kutaragi).

  • Malten

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 2:49 pm PT

    I wish I lived in the U.S. to see a 360 on a screen 4m wide :p

  • CommanderKill90

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 2:47 pm PT

    Sounds great, I know i'll be seeing 3 of those movies

  • XtremePhsyco

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 2:46 pm PT

    im gonna see a scanner darkyl and im getting gears of war no matter what

  • nickdastick

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 2:35 pm PT

    All I can say is, "Naga nooch!"

  • calibretto1

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 2:13 pm PT

    Who cares if it doesn't make holiday? So what if Cliffy B promised Bill Gates on camera? Emergence Day 200... huh? Sure it would suck for 360's market push, but at the end of the day "quality over punctuality is Epic's creed." As bad as it would look for M$, I'd much rather wait until 2007 for a polished product.

  • MROmeo10

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 2:09 pm PT

    I wanna experience the badass 5.1. When does this start? good excuse to see Clerks II

  • Devilwillcry

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 1:55 pm PT

    advertising before movies is an excellent way to reach more people. I remember a while back when I saw an ad before the movie for Zeld: Widnwaker, adn that made me buy a GC. So lets hope more games start doing this. it would be nice to see an MGS4 or Metroid: Corruptions add before a big movie right beofre their launch.

  • ortan13

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 1:46 pm PT

    I think that games will get more sales if they advertise before movies and T.V.

  • blitzkrieg13

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 1:40 pm PT

    genius

  • gamer_10001

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 1:36 pm PT

    Even though it's strange to game trailers in the movies it definently beats all the stupid ads.

  • Devouring_One

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 1:32 pm PT

    Why would there be video game trailers in theaters anyway?

  • crck

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 1:32 pm PT

    marcus1968
    "If this game doesn't come out for the holidays it will be nothing short of a disaster for the 360"

    Spot on. I have my doubts about what xbox 360 will have to offer this holiday season. They are going against the console launches of the two biggest players in video games over the last 10 years. And frankly this is their only supposed AAA title to make it to shelves later this year. If MS has no exclusive title for the holidays after being on the market for a year..... That might just signal the end of the war before it even started.

  • K1LLSWITCH

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 1:29 pm PT

    jared81799
    "i always distrust a game with lots of advertisement. too much hype means too much disappointment. movie looks awesome though."

    I agree about too much hype. When people see a game for the first time with awesome graphix, those same people think that the game must be good. Look at Prey and how people were so disappointed. In their minds they hyped up the game to be something that it's not. And when a reviewer like Jeff Gertsman comes around and tells the gaming community that the game is only worth a rental, they get upset if not mad. My advice for everyone is not to hype up a game until you at least read a review on it, or if it comes out before then, rent it and find out if the game meets your expectations. The Halo series is a great example of too much hype.

  • talonkard044

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 1:24 pm PT

    Didn't Midnight Club 3 do this? I sear I saw a preview for it before a movie...

  • Pierce_Sparrow

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 1:18 pm PT

    The reason that they have more commercials in theaters now is because less people are going to the theater these days. So, to replace lost ticket sales, advertisers put their commercials in. So, if people wanna stop advertsiments in theaters, we need to encourage more people to go to the theater.

  • jdknight21

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 1:16 pm PT

    You can bet all of the companies will be doing this. It is great marketing to casuals.

  • danmp18

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 1:09 pm PT

    This game should end up pretty cool.

  • jared81799

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 1:04 pm PT

    i always distrust a game with lots of advertisement. too much hype means too much disappointment. movie looks awesome though.

  • qwikqik

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 1:04 pm PT

    What do you mean there's no reason to show it in theaters?! That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard!!! It's called marketing, and anyone with half a brain knows that if you want a product or service to be successful and/or lucrative, you advertise the hell out of it! Not everyone knows about this game! I'm sure there are lots of casual gamers who don't! Not to mention the fact that this game may vey well get more people to invest in an XBOX360. Think a little before you post and maybe you won't get flamed!

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