Gears of War developer The Coalition was allegedly working on Xbox’s answer to the Uncharted series, but the game ultimately got canceled.
In the latest episode of Game History Secrets on the DidYouKnowGaming YouTube channel, video game historian Liam Robertson claimed that before Gears of War 4 cemented The Coalition’s identity as Microsoft’s flagship shooter studio, the team, then known as Black Tusk Studios, was working on a new IP internally codenamed Project Ranger, envisioned as Xbox’s answer to Sony’s Uncharted series.
Based on information Robertson gather from former developers and internal documentation, Project Ranger was conceived in around 2012 as a cinematic third-person action-adventure game starring an agent named Cole, voiced by Spartacus actor Liam McIntyre. The project aimed to blend intense gunplay, gadget-driven espionage, and spectacular set pieces, including a tsunami sequence set in a collapsing Honolulu, rendered in real-time with advanced environmental destruction and dynamic water simulation, technology considered “borderline crazy” by ex-staff due to its experimental animation systems.
Originally positioned as a graphical showcase for the Xbox One, Project Ranger underwent multiple creative overhauls as Microsoft executives, including Phil Spencer, pushed for something more in line with Uncharted. Early concepts featured reconnaissance drones and spy gadgets, but these were later scrapped in favor of traditional shooting mechanics. According to Robertson, developers described constant leadership changes and unclear creative direction, with one calling it “James Bond meets Mission Impossible, two franchises diametrically opposed.”
Despite internal turmoil, the team produced a playable vertical slice by late 2013. However, during the same year, Microsoft entered talks to acquire the Gears of War IP from Epic Games. Seeing Black Tusk’s strength in third-person combat, executives redirected the studio to take over the Gears series, effectively canceling Project Ranger in early 2014. It is said that much of the latter’s technology, including its advanced animation and environmental systems, later found its way into Gears of War 4.
