Gears of War reportedly also being considered for PlayStation release

Amid a fresh swirl of reports suggesting Microsoft is at least mulling a dramatic shift in strategy for its first-party Xbox titles, it's been claimed Gears of War - a series that's long been tightly intertwined with Xbox's identity - is also being considered for a PlayStation release.

That's according to Giant Bomb's Jeff Grubb, who made the claim in the latest edition of his Game Mess Mornings podcast (thanks VGC). Addressing the recent spate of rumours about first-party Xbox games heading to PlayStation - which so far include Starfield, Sea of Thieves, Hi-Fi Rush, and Bethesda's upcoming Indiana Jones game - Grubb said, "The other one that I've heard that's definitely under consideration...is Gears of War".

"It doesn't mean that it's going to happen," he added, "but it's in talks".

Gears of War's inclusion in the growing list of Xbox first-party games that could potentially be heading to PlayStation is interesting for all sorts of reasons, not least because it's a series that's long been synonymous with Xbox as a brand, even before Microsoft acquired the IP from Epic Games in 2014. It's perhaps not quite as inextricably associated with Xbox as Halo and its iconic protagonist - particularly after a five-year dormancy - but if Grubb's sources are correct, it suggests nothing is off the table as far as Microsoft's reported discussions are concerned.

Then there's the fact that - despite a public hiring spree by Gears of War developer The Coalition last year - Microsoft still hasn't officially announced a new entry in the long-running shooter series. If the company is merely considering bringing some older Gears games over to PlayStation - Grubb doesn't specify exactly what it's supposedly discussing - that's one thing, but a new instalment in one of its flagship series would point to a rather more far-reaching strategic shift.

As ever, all this remains conjecture until Microsoft has something public to say - but one thing we do know is that the company is poised to bring Gears of War back in a big way. The Coalition's next game might still be shrouded in mystery - and there's been unsubstantiated chatter about a Gears of War series remaster - but a live-action Gears of War movie and animated Netflix TV series have both been formally announced.