Earlier this year, Microsoft announced that it was working with Funko on a new Gears of War game different than any other — the adorably cute Gears Pop! And now we’ve got a good idea of what to expect from the game, as the official YouTube channel for the game has posted its first gameplay video.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Now, first up, if you’re expecting an adorable version of Gears of War…that’s not how Gears Pop! works. It’s actually a mobile game built around characters from the Gears Funko line, but with tactics you might recognize from the series. And it definitely looks like a fun release.
In the video, Rod Fergusson, who serves as the studio head for The Coalition, talks with lead game designer Tyler Bielman about how the game came together.
“It’s really about bringing Gears of War to the mobile space,” Fergusson explained.
The game is actually getting prepped for its “soft launch,” meaning that a full mobile release for 2019 wouldn’t be out of the cards.
Bielman explained that the game is “a mobile game that is PvP, it’s what we call Bite Size Battles, so they’re just three minute battles in a battle arena, and you play out Gears characters — Pops, in fact — and they run around and have fun and shoot each other in the battlefield.”
He then talked about what makes this a Gears game, despite the different approach. He said it’s about three things: cover, explosive moments and characters.
Regarding cover, “we wanted to bring cover into the mobile space, so this game, certain units will take in claim cover, which creates sort of a territory and control game, which is really interesting strategically.”
Then came explosive moments. “There’s some stuff in there that is really surprising and changes the scale of the battle quite a bit.”
Finally, with characters, obviously it’s helpful to have some familiar faces in the game.
The game does have some kind of Clash Royale elements to it, which should make it instantly easy for players to relate to. It’s not your typical Gears experience, but that’s the idea.
When it does release, Gears Pop! is expected for various mobile devices, but we’ll let you know once details are finalized.
