Gears 5 has been the chapter that more than anything else in the series has tried to make the IP and the brand bigger and bigger, putting it more in line with video games trends like wider areas to explore and rich narrative, and it feels like the next iteration in the franchise will keep following this route.
Art director Aryan Hanbeck has indeed revealed that Gears 6 will be inspired by Handmaid’s Tale, a drama-heavy, industrial, and dystopian TV show from Hulu, which has managed to win people’s attention despite not coming from any particularly famed inspiration itself.
“One thing – the guys here will probably laugh if they see this – but I’ve been telling all the artists nonstop to go watch Handmaid’s Tale… The composition, the color, and just the cinematography and symbolism is just off the charts,” Hanbeck told composer Hamidreza Nikoofar in a podcast series called Wassup Conversations.
“So, I watched that, and I’m like, ‘Wow, we gotta find a way to get more of this stuff in Gears 6,’” he added. The art director also shared a few names of games that should inspire Gears 6, and among those, as noted by IGN, you can find the likes of Destiny 2.
As I noted above, it’s good to see that the franchise is still considering its roots but also trying to expand itself, looking at what other IPs have been doing over all these years. While it’s essential to retain a DNA of sorts if you want to stay relevant, you also have to reinvent yourself, and inspirations are all over the place to do so.
