Gears 5 goes smoke free Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Gears 5 goes smoke free "I've seen firsthand the devastating impact of smoking." News by Wesley Yin-Poole Deputy Editorial Director Updated on 13 Jul 2019 126 comments Gears 5 is a smoke-free game. In fact, going forward, smoking is banned across the Gears of War universe. Previous Gears of War games have featured characters who smoked. COG Michael Barrick, for example, was a chain smoker with an addiction to cigars. In Gears of War 3, Barrick would hold a cigar in his mouth while you were playing as him in competitive multiplayer. Chain-smoking Michael Barrick. According to Variety, the decision not to include smoking references in the 18-rated Gears 5 came after not-for-profit anti-smoking organisation Truth Initiative approached Turner Broadcasting, whose ELeague esports division has broadcast rights to the game, about making a change. (There's a Gears 5 ELeague tournament taking place this weekend.) An Xbox representative said the decision was made solely by developer The Coalition. Adding context, The Coalition chief Rod Fergusson issued a statement to Variety: "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." Fergusson then added more detail in a tweet, saying his anti-smoking push has been around for some time, and Gears 4 and 5 didn't feature smoking in the first place: Just to clarify, I've always been anti-smoking and have pushed back on having it in Gears since day 1. There was no smoking to remove from Gears 4 or 5 because there never was any smoking to begin with. And as long as I'm in control, there never will be. Sorry for the confusion.- Rod Fergusson (@RodFergusson) July 13, 2019 To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Manage cookie settings Pre-empting the obvious double-standard criticism (ban smoking but the glorification of violence remains), Seth Ladetsky, senior VP, Turner Sports Sales and head of Turner Sports Digital and ELeague sales strategy and revenue, cited research that shows a correlation between higher exposure to tobacco depictions in entertainment and a higher incidence of smoking adoption among younger people. "As you remove these images, it does have an impact," he said. This is certainly a win for Truth Initiative, which is a US-focused organisation dedicated to ending tobacco use among young Americans. Citing research showing 62 per cent of esports viewers in the US are 18-34, CEO and president Robin Koval said: "In the midst of the pervasive reemergence of glamorised smoking imagery in pop culture, we commend [The Coalition] for taking smoking out of Gears 5 and ELeague for featuring this tobacco-free game during this weekend's competition. "We are hopeful that this decision will encourage other game developers and streaming tournaments to follow this lead and level up the gaming experience by going tobacco-free." Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 61 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 4 Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 11 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Sennheiser's legendary HD 599 open-back headphones are just £70 at Amazon in the Prime Early Access Sale Comfortable with neutral sound and a wide sound stage. Preview Football Manager's new Console edition is the best you'll get without a PC Getting Touch-right. 1 Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 61 Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store