Nobody will be lighting up in the latest Gears of War. The Coalition has removed all depictions of smoking from Gears 5 after an anti-smoking organization approached Turner, its esports partner, and requested that tobacco be stripped from the game.
Xbox Games Studio claims the decision fell entirely on the developer. Regardless of who made the call, gamers are having a good laugh at The Coalition’s expense, being that Gears 5 has no issue when it comes to blood, gore, and violence.
In a statement, Rod Fergusson, studio head at The Coalition, said: “I’ve seen firsthand the devastating impact of smoking. It’s always been important for me to not use smoking as a narrative device, which is why we made the conscious choice to avoid highlighting or glorifying smoking in ‘Gears 5’ and throughout the Gears of War Universe moving forward.” According to a rep for Xbox Games Studio, the decision was done solely by The Coalition.