It is no secret that Gears of War E-Day‘s reveal surprised fans. While there were rumors regarding the game being included in the 2024 Xbox Showcase lineup by industry insiders like Paris Lilly, no one saw a prequel dating back to the Emergence being announced.
This move by The Coalition was something that fans weren’t expecting in the slightest. That is because, since Gears of War 4, the series has been focusing on a different story arc. So, there must have been a profound reason why the studio chose to forsake the Gears 4 trilogy midway.
The Series Fell Off With Gears of War 4
As stated earlier, fans were surprised that the upcoming game in the franchise is going to be a prequel Many fans also expressed their surprise on various forms of social media while admitting that E-day reveal looked phenomenal.
For example, this is what one fan said:
Gears of War retreating to Emergence Day and not finishing the JD/Kait trilogy was a HUGE shock for me 😳
— TheImpureKing (@_TheImpureKing_) June 9, 2024
I get it though.
The modern trilogy had a mixed reception at best and this is their chance to reinvigorate the IP.
I know I’ll be there day one ⚙️ pic.twitter.com/7aa2FwxQRC
To understand what might have prompted The Coalition to fall back on the original plot of the series, it is essential to understand the IP’s history briefly. The first title in the fan-favorite Gears of War franchise came out in 2006. The storyline, which began in the first game, ended with the third title in the series.
It is worth noting that Epic Games developed the first three games. The fourth one, Gears of War: Judgement, saw the studio co-developing the title with People Can Fly. This was also a prequel set two weeks before E-Day. Unfortunately, though, Judgement was a massive commercial failure.
It was considered lore-inaccurate and just, and it only sold one million copies. Following this, a new epoch in the series began when Gears of War 4 was announced to be developed by The Coalition. The game focused on the son of the original trilogy’s protagonist, JD Phoenix, son of Marcus Phoenix. It was set 25 years later, the third game in the franchise.
The game had a cheap narrative trick, which rendered the ending of the original trilogy moot. In this game, it was discovered that the locusts never died. Loyal fans also complained that the game wasn’t nearly as dark, gritty, and unnerving as the first three games. On the contrary, it was colorful and vibrant, antipodal to the original series. And this is where the downfall of the IP started to show.
And Gears 5 was the last nail in the coffin, with an even weaker set of characters and stories. With this, the franchise now only looked like a shadow of itself. Now, fans were caught off-guard when the upcoming game shifted the timelines again because Gears of War 4, despite its reception, was an original creation from The Coalition.
And it wasn’t understood why a studio would go back to another timeline created by another, a timeline that was done and dusted, and then develop a prequel based on it.
Was Gears of War E-Day the Only Choice Given to the Coalition by the Xbox Chiefs?
Considering how the series fell after Epic Games was no longer its sole helmsman, going ahead with The Coalition’s storyline could have been detrimental for the franchise and to the console brand. Not to mention, it wouldn’t have sold well for reasons that fans have highlighted in games since Gears of War 4.
It would have faced backlash in a console generation in which Xbox is already second best to its arch-rival by a huge margin. It is incredibly likely that The Coalition was compelled to base its upcoming game around E-Day, and only then would the company greenlight the JD/Kait trilogy’s epilogue.
Radical steps in the progression of an IP, especially when it has become synonymous to a console brand as giant as Xbox, aren’t taken in a heartbeat. Hence, there might have been a very strong reason why there was a course correction maneuver executed by the video game company.
Regardless of what caused this decision, so far, the enthusiasm, that is being shown by fans of the series, especially veterans, is proving that the decision was one that will potentially benefit the brand and the franchise.
What do you think of this theory? Do you think it could have been more likely? We would love to know your thoughts in the comment section below!
