In a new episode of Game History Secrets on the DidYouKnowGaming YouTube channel, game historian Liam Robertson revealed that before the release of Gears of War 4, the team, then known as Black Tusk Studios, was working on a new franchise codenamed Project Ranger. The game was conceived as a cinematic third-person adventure in the spirit of Uncharted.
According to data from former employees and internal documents, Project Ranger was developed in 2012. The main character was an agent named Cole, voiced by actor Liam McIntyre from the series "Spartacus". The project combined shooting, elements of espionage, and spectacular scenes — for example, the destruction of Honolulu by a tsunami with realistic water simulation and destructible objects.
Initially, the game was planned as a technological showcase for Xbox One, but Microsoft demanded more similarity to Uncharted. Concepts with drones and gadgets were replaced with standard shootouts. Development suffered from constant rearrangements and a vague vision, and one employee described the project as "\"James Bond\" meets \"Mission: Impossible\"".
By the end of 2013, the studio had a playable prototype ready, but soon Microsoft began negotiations to purchase the rights to Gears of War from Epic Games. Management decided to hand over this series to Black Tusk, and Project Ranger was closed in early 2014. Later, some of the technologies were used in the creation of Gears of War 4.