Xbox has officially revealed the next instalment in the Gears of War franchise, Gears of War E-Day.
Announced during the Xbox Games Showcase today (June 9), long-time fans were treated to a cinematic trailer featuring younger versions of the series’ original heroes, Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago during the start of the Locust invasion.
While we did get confirmation that a new game is now in development, unfortunately there was no word of a release date.
However, we do know that Gears of War E-Day will be a prequel to the mainline games and be set 14 years before the events of the original game. We also have an official game description, which you can read below.
"Experience the brutal horror of Emergence Day through the eyes of Marcus Fenix in the origin story of one of gaming's most acclaimed sagas," it reads. "Fourteen years before Gears of War, war heroes Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago return home to face a new nightmare: the Locust Horde. These subterranean monsters, grotesque and relentless, erupt from below, laying siege on humanity itself."
Developer The Coalition has also confirmed Gears of War E-Day is built from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5, and will deliver an "unprecedented graphical fidelity.
"We realized that a lot of the words we use to describe the franchise were what our fans also use, phrases like brotherhood, brutality, pathos, awe” said creative director Matt Searcy in a new interview with Xbox Wire. "Why E-Day? That’s the moment it all comes together. It’s the heart of the Gears universe. Everything that happens is shaped by this day."
There was also no word on release platforms, but it's safe to assume that Gears of War E-Day will be coming to Xbox consoles and PC like past titles in the series, and perhaps Xbox Game Pass. It's unclear at this time if Xbox will be skipping Xbox One.
"It’s going to feel like a new Gears game, because that’s what it is," Searcy adds. "It’s us revisiting the tone and the feeling of what makes Gears great, but we’re tapping into new techniques, new processes, and new technology that’s going to make the gameplay feel better than ever.
"It’s going to be awesome, a game that feels both truly new, and authentically Gears."
