'Gears of War' Creator Reveals Surprising Origin for Fan Favorite Character, Amid Controversy

Gears of War: E-Day is out now after years of anticipation, and while reviewers and fans seem to be mostly happy with the final product, there is a small group of fans who have been highly critical of the way the game handles inclusive representation. The series’ original lead designer, Cliff Bleszinski, has taken to X to address some of the controversy.

In a post to X by Bleszinski, he stated that, while working on the original Gears of War game, his close collaborator, Rod Ferguson, had the idea that Dom could be Dom or Dominique, allowing the player to choose the gender of the character.

The post was made in response to some critics taking aim at the character Mags Carter and the female leaders of the game, while the lead character Marcus Fenix and his squad are under their command. Gears of War did not introduce playable female characters until Gears of War 3, originally, but has always had female characters in positions of power.

“Fun fact: When I wanted Marcus and Dom, Rod suggested having a choice that it could be Dom or Dominique. Yep, Dom could have been female,” wrote Bleszinski.

Bleszinski has not worked on the Gears franchise since Gears of War 3 and has largely stepped away from video games full-time, but has served in some development roles. He has also openly expressed interest in returning to the Gears of War franchise as an advisor.

While there has been some criticism aimed at E-Day‘s story, fans remain divided on the quality of the writing, with some feeling that the problem is not the female characters but the way they are handled in the story. Others argue that the game should’ve been male-centric, as the original two games had very few female characters and E-Day is a prequel.

Gears of War: E-Day is available now on Xbox Series X/S and PC. It is also available on Xbox Game Pass.

source https://www.mensjournal.com/entertainment/gears-of-war-creator-reveals-surprising-origin-for-fan-favorite-character-amid-controversy