Why did Gears of War miss the VGAs?

Epic Games' hotly anticipated Spike Video Game Awards Gears of War announcement failed to show. Why?

"One thing I've learned in the world of video games, it's a war out there," Gears design director Cliff Bleszinski told 1UP.

"There's a lot of strategizing going on and at any point something may shift due to a strategic move that needs to happen. So I came out here potentially announcing something.

"It turns out the timing's not right."

Reports in the run up to the show indicated epic would reveal a Kinect-enabled Gears game.

"We'll be showing off some new Gears of War gameplay. It's going to be awesome. You're going to love it. It's not what you're expecting," Bleszinski said.

The announcement would have "everyone talking".

But mere hours before the show was due to begin, Microsoft's Major Nelson posted on his blog to confirm Gears' absence from the US show.

"I have just learned of a decision to postpone our planned Gears of War news from Epic Games for the Spike Video Game Awards this weekend," he wrote. "I wanted to share this with you and let you know that while these are never easy decisions, we can tell you that what we have to share for the franchise in 2011 will definitely be worth the wait and we look forward to working with our partner at Spike on sharing this world premier news when it is ready."

Both Bleszinski and executive producer of the Gears of War franchise Rod Fergusson then took to Twitter to comment on the delay.

"To be clear, the VGA announcement delay comes from Microsoft, not us," Fergusson tweeted.

"I appreciate everyone's patience," Bleszinski added. "I'm flattered that people are upset about an announcement about something that was so vague. Have faith!"

The last-minute cancellation sparked speculation that Microsoft had pulled the plug because of the star billing given to Sony's Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception.

Bleszinski refuted that suggestion on Twitter, saying, "No. Also, I want that game and I want Drake to have my manbabies."