Gears of War E-Day‘s reveal excited fans for what’s coming next in the franchise. It is confirmed that the upcoming game will be a prequel set 14 years before the first game in the franchise. The game will feature younger versions of iconic characters like Marcus Michael Fenix and Dominic Santiago.
What appealed to fans at the upcoming game’s reveal at the 2024 Xbox Game Showcase was how close and coherent it felt to the original games. While later sequels diverged from the franchise’s founding ideas, the latest game seems to have a more revivalist approach.
The Coalition Plans for Gears of War E-day Will Likely Enthrall Fans
Gears of War is one of the most essential franchises for Xbox. Over time, it has joined franchises like Halo to become synonymous with the console’s brand. When the upcoming title, E-Day, was announced at the 2024 Xbox Game Showcase, fans couldn’t get enough of it and expressed their excitement about it on social media.
Recently, IGN interviewed The Coalition’s brand director, Nicole Fawcette, and creative director, Matt Searcy, regarding its vision for the upcoming title. The Director duo talked about how the upcoming title would see the franchise return to all of the tried and tested elements that made the franchise what it was when it came out initially.
Talking about what the studio’s vision for the upcoming title was, Matt Searcy stated the following:
But when people tell you what they remember playing, the things that stood out to them, the feelings, a lot of it is about these, kind of dark, almost horror-esque, scary moments…So we basically took that feeling, that vision that’s in everybody’s head, and we’re like, ‘That’s the game we’re going to build.’
It is worth noting that titles like Gears of War 4 and Gears 5, while part of the same franchise, felt incredibly different for various reasons. That was a significant reason why most franchise loyalists felt that games seemed incoherent with the franchise’s soul.
After Gears of War 4 and Gears 5, E-Day Might Catalyze the Series’ And The Console Company’s Renaissance
During the interview, the two directors stated that while the upcoming game will be going back in time and basing the game around Emergence Day, that doesn’t mean modern games will be rendered null and void.
However, a common complaint regarding these games since Gears of War 4 was how disconnected they felt from the themes of the initial games. At the same time, they had their storyline and a different set of characters, which felt weighted in their own right but were still received as second best to the plot and central characters of the original trilogy.
So, if the upcoming game proves to be a winning formula for the series, then Gears of War E-Day might mark a long-overdue win for Phil Spencer’s company, which hasn’t been the favorite in the industry.
What do you think of the Gears of War E-Day‘s reveal shared at the 2024 Xbox Game Showcase? Do you think that it could build on the franchise’s long-term success? We would love to know your thoughts in the comment section below!
