The Coalition has decided to remove any and all smoking tobacco reference from Gears 5. This decision comes after Truth Initiative approached Turner about the concerns regarding the depiction of smoking in Gears and then it was decided upon to remove all the smoking references.
A few of the main characters in Gears of Wars have been regular smokers in which they have been regularly shown with a cigarette or a cigar which negatively impacts youth.
Rod Fergusson, the 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.”
Turner Sports Digital is partnered with esports organization ELeague, which oversees many of the online competitions which are popular among children and having characters who openly support tobacco smoking might impact negatively on them.
This is a conscious effort taken by The Coalition and might pave the way for other developers who are involved with Esports to drop elements in the game which might spark off an addiction among the young generation.
Gears 5 will be releasing on the 10th of September 2019 and will be available for Xbox One and PC.
