Against all expectations, The Coalition chose with Gears of War E-Day not to tell the rest of the fifth opus, and clarified its reasons behind this surprising narrative choice.
Before its announcement with great fanfare at the Xbox Games Showcase, we were paying attention with some excitement to Gears 6. Gears of War E-Day arrived in its place and took fans by surprise, but certainly not without some excitement. According to The Coalition, this new game from the iconic Xbox license will not be just a simple prequel.
Gears of War E-Day, or the longest day
It wasn’t Kait Diaz who gave fans of the franchise a masterful graphic slap at the conclusion of the Xbox conference as part of Summer Game Fest 2024. Instead, they reconnected with good old Marcus Fenix, with much fewer wrinkles, scars and white hair. Gears of War E-Day places its plot 14 years before the events of the very first opus released on Xbox 360 18 years ago (yes, already…). As its name suggests, it will retrace the famous cataclysm that was Emergence Day for Terra, when the Locusts emerged from the earth to exterminate humanity.
However, this term does not tell the whole truth about the story of Gears of War E-Day, according to Matt Sercy, creative director of The Coalition, in an interview with GamesRadar+. The title will in fact tell us its story over “several days” and not just 24 hours. However, Emergence Day will be the focal point, which we will experience through the eyes of its different participants. In addition to Marcus Fenix, we could therefore possibly experience this terrible catastrophe at the helm of Dominic Santiago, or possibly Damon Baird, Cole Train, Colonel Hoffman or even Anya Stroud, to name just a few.
A story that will make us experience its most terrifying moment
Matt Sercy also confirmed some details from The Coalition regarding Gears of War E-Day. This indeed intends to greatly emphasize the threatening and terrifying side of the Locust invasion. While we ended up not paying too much attention to the Drones in the previous opuses, they will be much more formidable in this new opus. We were also able to see this in the trailer, made with assets from the game, under Unreal Engine 5. Marcus engages in a terribly brutal fight against a single Drone, even though it is a basic soldier of the Locust army. .
It will therefore not be a question of a complete massacre like in the old games, but of a visceral combat, at all times. A different orientation which also fits well with the fact that, before Emergence Day, no one had heard of the Locusts. Both the army and civilians therefore do not know how to manage such a monstrous invasion in more than one way. The program in any case looks extremely promising for fans of the franchise, and could even attract others put off by the exuberant side of the old parts. The icing on the cake: Gears of War E-Day could be released sooner than you think. Namely during 2025 on PC, Xbox Series and Xbox Game Pass. However, we will have to wait for official confirmation from the United Governments Coalition to be sure.