Gears 5 is the newest installment in the Gears of War franchise. The third-person shooter game will have a smoke-free environment. The release date for Gears 5 will be on September 10, The Coalition being the game developer.
A Coalition Against Smoking
The idea for not promoting smoking in the game came from the non-profit anti-smoking organization called Truth Initiative, that approached Truner, the owner of ELeague esports division that has the legislation of broadcast over the title. Turner and The Coalition worked together to eliminate the smoking factor from the game.
This partnership between Turner and Truth Initiative will be promoted on this weekend’s ELeague Gears Summer Series Invitational. This event will take place between 13-14 of July and will have live coverage on Twitch. This event will also be the first showcase of Gears 5.
The studio head of The Coalition, Rod Fergusson stated:
“I’ve seen firsthand the devastating impact of smoking. It’s always been important for me to not use smoking as a narrative device, which is why we made the conscious choice to avoid highlighting or glorifying smoking in ‘Gears 5’ and throughout the Gears of War Universe moving forward.”
A representant from Xbox Games noted that the decision was entirely made by The Coalition.
Gears’ Past With Smoking
In Gears of War’s past installments, there have been included some scenes that promote tobacco use, several characters smoking or holding cigars. Senior VP, Turner Sports Sales and chief of Turner Sports Digital and ELeague sales strategy and revenue, Seth Ladetsky, said that the idea for cigarettes or smoke promotion removal from Gears 5 has been in the works for months.
“This took a lot of time and a lot of good thinking,” said Ladetsky. “It’s the right image for ELeague — and the game itself — to project.”
Smoking aside, the game will still feature heavy mass-shootings, tons of violence. According to Microsoft, the game will be rated “M” for strong language, massive violence, blood, and gore.
Gears 5 will feature five different game modes and reassures the gaming community that it has its “deepest campaign yet.” Microsoft described the storyline:
“With all-out war descending, Kait Diaz breaks away to uncover her connection to the enemy and discovers the true danger to Sera — herself.”
Dorothy has been a journalist for ten years and has been working with the Tech News Watch staff since the beginning of the news site. Her main contribution to Tech News Watch are mobile, IT and science news, with a focus on software updates and great outer space discoveries.