It appears that all smoking-related references in Gears 5 are going to be scrubbed before the game releases this September, with developer The Coalition teaming up with a youth anti-tobacco initiative to deliver a ‘cleaner’ Gears 5 to the masses. According to Variety, non-profit anti-smoking organization Truth recently reached out to Turner, which has broadcasting rights for the title through its ELeague esports division, in order to make the change. Turner then coordinated with The Coalition in order to make the necessary changes.

“I’ve seen firsthand the devastating impact of smoking,” said The Coalition boss Rod Fergusson. “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.” Senior VP of Turner Sports Sales, Seth Ladetsky, also weighed in, revealing that making the necessary in-game changes took months, and that “It’s the right image for ELeague — and the game itself — to project.”

“In the midst of the pervasive reemergence of glamorized smoking imagery in pop culture, we commend Xbox for taking smoking out of Gears 5 and ELeague for featuring this tobacco-free game during this weekend’s competition,” said Robin Koval, president and CEO of Truth Initiative.

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.”

The newly tobacco-free Gears 5 is set to launch for PC and Xbox One on September 10, 2019.

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