As you may recall, Gears of War came out in 2006 and Gears of War 2 came out in 2008. Following that schedule, it wouldn't be a stretch to think that Epic is likely shooting for a 2010 release for Gears of War 3, right? Wrong, apparently. According to a source close to Epic, there isn't going to be a Gears of War title released in 2010, and we'll likely have to wait a little longer before we jump back into the oversized combat boots of Delta Squad.

While no actual date is set just yet, the source said that a Q2 2011 release is most likely, though, like release dates often do, that could always change. In fact, putting out such a game in any season other than the holiday season seems like a waste, and I wouldn't be shocked if it gets pushed back to fall into the Christmas season of 2011, if it can't make 2010. Then again, they might want to dominate the mid-year, as recent releases have proven that being attached to a holiday isn't as important to success as had been previously thought.

Technically, Gears 3 hasn't even been announced, but many in the industry have assumed that the shooter is on track for a ship date later this year. Unless something changes within the next few months, there's little chance that this will actually happen. Then again, with Sony starting off 2010 with a huge presence, Microsoft pushing for Epic to hit the holidays doesn't seem like it's out of the question. Whether or not it's actually a possibility is yet to be known. We'll keep you posted.