Epic Games debuts clip from new 'Gears of War 3'

That followed Epic's announcement earlier in the day that a second new Epic game, "Bulletstorm," will be coming out next year, too, through Electronic Arts. Epic is based in Raleigh.

“In this day and age, you've got to build the hype a lot. You've got to build it early,” Bleszinski told Jimmy Fallon, host of "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" on NBC.

The game guru brought along a video clip – "Ashes to Ashes" – from "Gears 3" to help along the hype for the game that he said will debut a year from now, in April 2011. "Bloodstorm" is targeted for 2011 as well.

“Graphics is kind of the thing that initially pulls people in, but what ultimately matters is game play,” Bleszinski told Fallon.

“We have thing whole thing in the business that we call ‘resonance,’” the man who goes by Cliffy B in the game business added. That quality keeps people thinking about the game after they walk away from it and are doing other things, he said.

Bleszinski had helped to bust the "secret" with a tweet last week saying, “Two announcements about two upcoming games on Monday."

Word about "Gears" had leaked earlier Friday at Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Live Web site.

Also on Friday, Game Informer magazine unveiled its May issue cover with a splash about “Bulletstorm.”

Monday, word came officially from Epic, People Can Fly and Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), touting "Bulletstorm" as bringing "new furor to first-person shooter action with its signature 'kill with skill' gameplay, which is packed with blockbuster moments."