The Coalition (company)

The Coalition
Formerly called
  • Zipline Studios (2010–11)
  • Microsoft Game Studios Vancouver (2011–12)
  • Black Tusk Studios (2012–15)
Subsidiary
Industry Video game industry
Founded February 2010 (2010-02)
Headquarters Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Key people
 Rod Fergusson (studio head)
Products Gears of War series (2015–)
Owner Microsoft
Number of employees
 200[1] (2015)
Parent Microsoft Studios
Website thecoalitionstudio.com

The Coalition (formerly Zipline Studios, Microsoft Game Studios Vancouver and Black Tusk Studios) is a Canadian video game developer based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and a subsidiary of Microsoft Studios. The Coalition is best known for developing games in the Gears of War series after the franchise's acquisition by Microsoft Studios from Epic Games.

History

The studio was formed in February 2010 as Zipline Studios, and went to develop Facebook game Relic Rescue.[2] On May 2, 2011, the studio was renamed Microsoft Game Studios Vancouver and officially announced, working on Microsoft Flight and Kinect shooter game Project Columbia.[3][4] On July 25, 2012, Project Columbia and further development on Microsoft Flight were cancelled, with all 35 employees being laid off.[5] On November 29, 2012, the studio was renamed Black Tusk Studios, and tasked with creating a new major franchise for Microsoft Studios to rival their popular Halo franchise.[6]

On January 27, 2014, it was announced that Microsoft had acquired the Gears of War franchise from Epic Games, and that Black Tusk Studios would take on the development of future games in the series.[7][8] As part of the Gears of War acquisition, Microsoft also hired Rod Fergusson, who was the executive producer on the first three Gears of War games, to oversee development.[9] On June 3, 2015, Fergusson announced that Black Tusk Studios had been renamed The Coalition, signifying its relation to the Gears of War franchise (as with Microsoft's Halo studio 343 Industries). The studio's name references the Coalition of Ordered Governments.[10]

Games developed

Year Game Platform(s) Metacritic
As Zipline Studios
2011 Relic Rescue Facebook N/A
As Microsoft Game Studios Vancouver
2012 Microsoft Flight Microsoft Windows (PC) 64/100[11]
As The Coalition
2015 Gears of War: Ultimate Edition Microsoft Windows, Xbox One (PC) 73/100[12]
(XB1) 82/100[13]
2016 Gears of War 4 (PC) 85/100[14]
(XB1) 84/100[15]

Cancelled

References

  1. ↑ Gies, Arthur (July 28, 2015). "Beauty deconstructed: The state of Gears of War". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  2. ↑ Orland, Kyle (May 2, 2011). "Microsoft Launches Vancouver Studio, Reportedly Developing Shooter For Kinect". Gamasutra. UBM TechWeb. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  3. ↑ McWhertor, Michael (May 2, 2011). "Kinect Getting Its Own Original 'Core' Shooter Thanks to New Microsoft Studio". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  4. ↑ Lien, Tracey (January 28, 2014). "The mystery of Black Tusk's 'next big entertainment franchise'". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  5. ↑ Schreier, Jason (July 25, 2012). "Microsoft Reportedly Shuts Down Vancouver-Based Studio [UPDATE: Projects Cancelled]". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  6. ↑ Hafer, T.J. (November 30, 2012). "Microsoft's new Black Tusk Studios, headed by ex-EA devs, looking to make the next Halo". PC Gamer. Future US. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  7. ↑ Good, Owen (January 27, 2014). "Microsoft Snags Gears of War". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  8. ↑ McWhertor, Michael (January 27, 2014). "Microsoft acquires Gears of War from Epic, hires series producer Rod Fergusson". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  9. ↑ Crecente, Brian (August 1, 2014). "The fixer: Why Rod Fergusson returned to Gears of War". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  10. ↑ Nunneley, Stephany (June 3, 2015). "Gears of War studio Black Tusk Studios has been renamed The Coalition". VG247. Videogaming247. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Microsoft Flight Critic Reviews for PC". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Gears of War: Ultimate Edition for Windows 10 Critic Reviews for PC". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Gears of War: Ultimate Edition Critic Reviews for Xbox One". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Gears of War 4 Critic Reviews for PC". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Gears of War 4 Critic Reviews for Xbox One". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
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