A new rumor indicates that there are three Gears of War games in development, including one Battle Royale. Originally created by Fortnite developer Epic Games, Gears of War quickly became synonymous with the Xbox brand when it was released exclusively on Xbox 360 in 2006.

Microsoft Studios served as the shooter game's publisher, and eventually decided to buy the rights to the entire series in 2014. Since then, they've established their own studio, The Coalition, to work exclusively on the third-person shooter. They released their first game, Gears of War 4, in 2016, and now it's been two years since players have seen any sign of the Locust that defined the series, which has many speculating that an announcement of a future game could be on the horizon.

Related: Xbox Still Desperately Needs Exclusives

While a Walmart Canada listing (the same one that revealed RAGE 2 was in development) recently listed Gears of War 5 as an upcoming game, Polygon now says that Microsoft may have as many as three different Gears of War titles in development; all three of which are rumored to be at Microsoft's E3 2018 press conference, sothe third-person shooter series could be back in a major way.

While three different Gears of War titles may sound like overkill, Microsoft is making sure each hits every market. The first rumored game is the aforementioned Gears of War 5, which would have a full single-player campaign and the multiplayer modes that the series has become famous for. Meanwhile, the second rumored game is said to be a real-time strategy title in the vein of Halo Wars, which would be quite different from the third-person shooters that fans are used to. Finally, a Gears of War branded Battle Royale game is said to be in the works, which would give Microsoft their own spin on the popular genre that even Call of Duty is trying to get in on.

A common criticism against Microsoft has been its lack of first-party games for the Xbox One (and Xbox One X, for that matter), so coming back with three different Gears of War titles would certainly be a major statement. All three seem to be targeting different audiences, and if the Battle Royale title is free-to-play, then Microsoft won't be asking players to spend a ridiculous amount on three Gears games in a short time span. It's a bold strategy, but one that could pay off in a major way. Plus, it's possible that not all three titles will release around the same time anyway. If the rumors wind up being true, then it's likely that these games will be shown during Microsoft's press conference next weekend. That could make June 10 a day to remember for Gears of War fans.

More: E3 2018 Press Conference Schedule & Where To Watch

Source: Polygon