Former Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski says canine companion was cut early in the development process.

The original Gears of War had a dog companion, former Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski told Kotaku in a new interview.

"Gears 1 had a canine helper with you that was cut early in the game. Guess word got out to Activision," Bleszinski said.

Call of Duty: Ghosts features a dog, Riley, that players can control in various ways. Employees at developer Infinity Ward are split on whether or not they want the dog to die, though the studio has already decided Riley's fate.

Also in the interview, Bleszinski said that "there's some truth" to the idea that cutting features can help ship games. "Sometimes you need to ship with the bare minimum of cool and then polish the cut ideas for a sequel, strangely enough," he said.

Bleszinski left Epic Games last October after 20 years with the company.

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