'It was the right choice': how the Gears 5 team built a credible female hero

Zöe Curnoe, a senior producer at video game developer The Coalition, lets out a long sigh. We've just reminded her about a tweet from Cliff Bleszinski, the former lead designer on the Gears of War franchise, which she has worked on for several years. Gears 5, the latest title in the Gears of War series, has a female protagonist for the first time. "Not gonna lie," wrote Bleszinski. "Seeing a woman on the cover of a Gears game makes me happy. I was told for decades'games with female leads don't sell.'"