As Gears of War E-Day brought things to an end at the Xbox Games Showcase, it finally felt like Microsoft’s gaming division was back on track after fumbling for quite some time. Being one of Xbox’s most iconic franchises, there’s a lot resting on the upcoming effort by The Coalition, and considering how it’s been around five years since the last mainline installment, a sequel to Gears 5‘s been overdue.
However, despite the narrative elements heading back to showcase an origin story to the series, the technological aspects are taking multiple steps forward, as evident by the spectacular trailer revealed at the event.
Epic’s Engine Lives on in Gears of War E-Day
Although Epic Games does not have the development rights for Gears of War any longer, its mark on the series lives on in the upcoming installment as well, as The Coalition is utilizing the technical power of Unreal Engine 5 to bring the prequel to life.
Following the tradition introduced by the very first game in the franchise around 18 years ago, it would have been a disservice to the series if E-Day did not receive a visually extraordinary trailer as well, and the capabilities of Epic’s engine can be seen in all their stunning glory.
“The leap in technical capabilities is tremendous,” stated Studio Technical Director Kate Rayner, as the engine allows the developer to feature “100 times more environment and character details than Gears 5.”
Raising the bar in “technical excellence” is the goal that The Coalition is trying to achieve, according to Rayner, as the visuals in the upcoming title are set to be incredibly detailed so it feels as destructively immersive as possible. To ensure that an otherwise forgotten franchise makes a grand comeback and fits in today’s gaming landscape that is constantly changing, the developer has “fully modernized gears,” with each visual element “rebuilt” from the ground up.
And it was definitely apparent in the trailer shown at Xbox Games Showcase, as the developer wanted to let fans know that it is “pushing the boundaries of both storytelling and technology in gaming.”
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 Recently Showcased the Power of Unreal Engine 5
If the visual prowess of the Gears of War E-Day trailer looked familiar, it is because Ninja Theory, another Xbox studio, recently proved just how powerful Unreal Engine 5 truly is, as a similar sense of brutal realism was witnessed in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2.
The events that shaped the Gears series were devastatingly destructive and came with numerous battles and countless casualties, so creating such sequences and ensuring that they leave a hard-hitting impact on the player is something that the developer is aiming for.
According to Creative Director Matt Searcy, ‘brutality” plays a major role in what defines the Gears of War franchise, and naturally, it is important to make the players feel the sense of dread that the characters went through during the tragic Locust attack.
Are you excited about the epic comeback of Gears of War? Which game in the series has been your favorite? Let us know in the comments!
