"Gears of War 3 promises to be the biggest entertainment launch of 2011. The teams at Microsoft Game Studios and Epic Games have done great work thus far readying the title for release in the Spring of 2011," a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement early this morning. "However, we've elected to move the launch of Gears of War 3 until Fall 2011 to make it the marquee title for the holiday season."

Developed by Epic Games, Gears of War 3 was originally scheduled to launch on April 5, 2011. Mid-2011 has quickly become the "go-to" delay time frame for developers and publishers, crowding Microsoft's planned Gears of War 3 release window.

Regardless of when it lands in stores--as the Xbox 360's second biggest exclusive franchise--the continuation of the Marcus/Dom/Locust "love triangle" is sure to fly off shelves. We just wanted it flying at us sooner rather than later.