Microsoft only just recently released Gears 5, and to be clear, no sequel has been announced. However, one of the game's developers, art director Aryan Hanbeck, has now spoken at a very high level about some of his ideas for Gears 6.

He said on video game composer Hamidreza Nikoofar's podcast, Wassup Conversations, that he's telling his art team to watch The Handmaid's Tale for inspiration. Hanbeck said Hulu's dystopian show is shot beautifully and creatively, and the next Gears game could benefit from taking some inspiration from it.

"One thing--the guys here will probably laugh if they see this--but I’ve been telling all the artists nonstop to go watch Handmaid's Tale… The composition, the color, and just the cinematography and symbolism actually is just off the charts," Hanbeck said (via IGN). "So, I watched that and I'm like, 'Wow we gotta find a way to get more of this stuff in Gears 6.'"

The Handmaid's Tale has a sort of grainy and dark presentation style. It is eye-catching, for sure. Gears 5, meanwhile, expanded on the franchise's traditionally dark and grimy art style with its introduction of more bright and colorful sequences.

Gears 5 was a big critical and commercial success, so it is expected that Microsoft will eventually make Gears 6. It likely won't be released anytime soon, however.

While fans might have to wait a while for Gears 6, developer The Coalition plans to update and support Gears 5 with lots of extra content--including free maps and more--over time.

In other news, Gears 5 recently rolled out a new penalty system for quitters and one offending player faced a nearly two-year ban.