Microsoft's Kinect may get its first taste of hardcore flavor—made a little bit softer—in the form of an on-rails Gears of War shooter, pictured above, said to be in development for the Xbox 360.
According to sources claiming to be familiar with the project, the previously rumored Gears of War Kinect project is indeed real. Based on details provided to Kotaku, a demo version of the game appeared to re-use some assets and events from Gears of War 2.
While we don't yet know the extent to which Kinect controls might be implemented, a source indicates that movement in this Gears of War spin-off would be controlled not by the player, but set on-rails.
Update: After publishing this story, a trusted source indicated to Kotaku that the image above was from an older concept demo for a Gears of War Kinect game and may not accurately represent the final product.
Late last year, Epic Games teased a new, unexpected Gears of War gameplay reveal planned for the Spike TV Video Game Awards. That unveiling was pulled prior to the taping of the Spike VGAs, promised for a reveal at a later date.
In the weeks prior, IGN reported that a Gears of War title for Kinect was in the works. Gears of War designer Cliff Bleszinski responded to that rumor via Twitter, assuring fans that there would be "No Kinect in Gears of War 3."
Last month, Epic Games announced a new Gears collection, the Gears of War Triple Pack, and filed for a new trademark, Gears of War: Exile, as spotted by Siliconera.
Kotaku has contacted Epic Games seeking comment and clarification, but has not yet heard back.