With Xbox announcing plans to bring a select few first-party games to rival console platforms earlier this year, there have been rumours around bigger franchises like Halo and Gears of War also making the jump to multi-platform. The Coalition is currently deep into development on Gears of War: E-Day for Xbox and PC, but recent job listings suggest that a PlayStation version of the game may also be on the way.
In a job listing for a Senior Online Client Engineer, The Coalition is seeking applicants to “help build the multiplayer and online experience” for the next Gears title. This role encompasses everything you would expect it to, including in-game economy, session management, microtransactions, player statistics and matchmaking.
The interesting part can be found in the ‘preferred qualifications' section, where Microsoft is seeking those with experience with Xbox Live, Steam and PSN. This has led to rumours that Gears of War: E-Day may also be bound for PlayStation consoles.
With that said, it is highly likely that this little tidbit on the job listing is being blown out of proportion. All of these online gaming platforms function similarly, sharing many features. Chances are, if you've worked with one of these platforms, you have an idea of what to expect from the others. With that in mind, all this likely means is that Microsoft is willing to hire someone who has experience with PSN or Steam, but not necessarily Xbox Live, and vice versa. The role is not specifically seeking out a ‘PSN expert' to aid in pushing the game through Sony's approval channels for PlayStation.
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KitGuru Says: I don't buy into the idea that this job listing points to a PS5 version of Gears: E-Day. With that said, it would be a great place for newcomers to the franchise to start, as it is a prequel set before the events of the first game.