Right as the Xbox Games Showcase came to an end today, The Gears of War developer The Coalition took over to show off its next project: E-Day. This prequel project was announced back in 2024, but now we have a lot more details about its campaign, new gameplay mechanics, and even a release date.
The studio says this is the first time it has managed to get the time to build the entire game in a new engine, as it had worked non-stop on new titles for years while porting classic code and assets. With Unreal Engine 5 now powering Gears of War: E-Day, The Coalition says it started completely anew, with all assets, animations, environments, and others being built from scratch.
The campaign will take place across three days in the city of Kalona. The story will follow the events through the eyes of Bravo Squad. This is made up of the returning classic duo Marcus and Dom, as well as the new characters Mags Carter and Lucas Reyes. Watch the trailer below to see Marcus in action without his iconic armor and gear, just as the Locust invasion kicks off. The story will draw on classic Gears novels like Aspho Fields as well, with the studio even collaborating with author Karen Traviss.
"That continuity is what makes the destruction land," says the studio. "In E-Day, you watch a living city torn apart—homes still lit, meals half-finished—while people abandon their cars and run for cover. Small details—a child’s toy, an uneaten dinner—make the loss real as everyday places collapse under the Locust assault."
The movement system is getting a big overhaul here. Players will be able to slide while running, jump across gaps, climb head-height covers, and even crawl on the ground to avoid fire from enemies.
As for the returning horde mode, The Coalition teased a new 12-player PvE mode. This will involve three squads of Gears going up against the incoming Locusts in larger city maps than usual. The studio says that it is going to reimagine the classic formula just as co-op games are going through a resurgence.
Multiplayer was touched on today too, where Versus is coming back touting four versus four Gears PVP action set across Kalona maps. More details about multiplayer will be revealed later. Open beta weekends are kicking off this August for fans wanting to jump in early too.
Gears of War: E-Day is releasing on Xbox Series X|S and PC on October 6 with pre-orders available now. It will also be a part of Xbox Game Pass on day one. Microsoft has confirmed this as an Xbox platform exclusive, as there are no plans to bring it to PlayStation or Switch.
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