The Coalition

Formerly	Zipline Studios (2010–2011) Microsoft Game Studios Vancouver (2011–2012) Black Tusk Studios (2012–2015)
Company type	Division
Industry	Video games
Founded	February 2010; 15 years ago (2010-02)
Headquarters	Vancouver , Canada
Key people	Mike Crump (studio head) Kate Rayner (technical director)
Products	Gears of War series
Number of employees	200[1] (2015)
Parent	Xbox Game Studios
Website	thecoalitionstudio.com

The Coalition (formerlyZipline Studios,Microsoft Game Studios Vancouver andBlack Tusk Studios) is a Canadianvideo game developer based inVancouver, part ofXbox Game Studios. The company was founded in 2010 as Zipline Studios. Following the release of its debut game,Relic Rescue (2011), Zipline was renamed Microsoft Game Studios Vancouver. In February 2012, the studio released theflight simulatorMicrosoft Flight. Later that year, in November, Microsoft Game Studios Vancouver was rebranded as Black Tusk Studios. After Microsoft acquired the rights to the franchiseGears of War in 2014, the studio was commissioned to develop new games in the series. Black Tusk was renamed The Coalition in June 2015, and in August releasedGears of War: Ultimate Edition, aremaster of the originalGears of War (2006). In the ensuing years, the studio developedGears of War 4 (2016) andGears 5 (2019). It also collaborated withMediatonic andSplash Damage to develop thereal-time strategyGears Pop! (2019) and theturn-based tacticsGears Tactics (2020), respectively.

Microsoft established the company as Zipline Studios in February 2010.^[2][3] The following year, Zipline released theFacebook gameRelic Rescue^[3] and was renamed Microsoft Game Studios Vancouver.^[2] In February 2012, the studio released theflight simulatorMicrosoft Flight to mixed reviews.^[4][5] Citing a need to realign the company's long-term goals and development plans, Microsoft cancelled the game's development in July. This decision coincided with the cancellation ofProject Columbia, an unannouncedKinectshooter game, and the layoff of all 35 employees.^[6] In November, Microsoft Game Studios Vancouver was rebranded as Black Tusk Studios and tasked with developing a major franchise forMicrosoft Studios, comparable to theirHalo franchise.^[7]

In 2014, Microsoft acquired the rights to the franchiseGears of War fromEpic Games and commissioned Black Tusk Studios to develop future games in the series.Rod Fergusson, who had been the producer of the franchise at Epic, became the head of the studio.^[8] Black Tusk was renamed The Coalition—a reference to an entity within theGears of War franchise, the Coalition of Ordered Governments—in June 2015.^[9] Two months later, the studio releasedGears of War: Ultimate Edition, aremaster of the originalGears of War (2006),^[10] which was generally well-received by critics.^[11] Shortly before the release ofUltimate Edition, The Coalition announcedGears of War 4.^[12] Released in 2016,^[13] the game received favorable reviews^[14] and was nominated for best action game of the year at both theD.I.C.E. Awards^[15] andThe Game Awards.^[16] The Coalition then collaborated withMediatonic to develop thereal-time strategyGears Pop!,^[17] released in August 2019 to mixed reviews.^[18][19] The following month, the studio releasedGears 5.^[20] The game was met with positive reviews^[21] and received several award nominations,^[a] includingXbox Game of the Year at theGolden Joystick Awards, which it won.^[26]

In March 2020, Fergusson left his position to joinBlizzard Entertainment,^[3] and director of operations Mike Crump assumed the role.^[27] The studio collaborated withSplash Damage to develop theturn-based tacticsGears Tactics, which was released in April and met with positive critical reception.^[28][29] Later that year, in December, The Coalition releasedGears 5: Hivebusters, adownloadableexpansion pack which also received positive reviews.^[30][31] In May 2021, the studio announced its transition to theUnreal Engine 5 game engine for future projects.^[32] The Coalition supported343 Industries in the development ofHalo Infinite and contributed to theXbox Series X/S optimization of atech demoThe Matrix Awakens, both released in December.^[33][34] In 2023, Microsoft conducted widespread layoffs that resulted in a reduction of staff at the studio.^[35]Gears of War: Reloaded, a remastered version of the original game, is scheduled to release in August 2025 and is being co-developed by The Coalition,Sumo Digital, and Disbelief.^[36] The studio is also collaborating withPeople Can Fly onGears of War: E-Day, aprequel set to launch in 2026, coinciding with the series' 20th anniversary.^[37][38]

• Project Columbia^[6]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toThe Coalition.

• Official website

• 2010 establishments in British Columbia
• Canadian companies established in 2010
• Canadian subsidiaries of foreign companies
• Companies based in Vancouver
• First-party video game developers
• Microsoft subsidiaries
• Video game companies based in British Columbia
• Video game companies established in 2010
• Video game development companies
• Xbox Game Studios

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from June 2024
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