• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Gears of War E-Day Has Been Announced!

Astral Dog

Member
Its a nice teaser but I don't know if this is a good thing or not,seems a little late to push prequels and this is not even the first i guess we will see
images
 

SteadyEvo

Member
Young Marcus fighting for his life. E Day. Dom?! Every encounter is deadly. Locust tossing him around like a prisoner.

What a departure from grizzled veteran Marcus. 100lbs of armor. Slamming his battered into walls. Ammo not a concern. Range fighter but he’d still fuck you up if you got too close, chainsaw.

This trailer hit just as hard, if not harder than the original. We’re seeing how the legend was built. In the trenches. Let’s fucking go!!!!
 

Puscifer

Member
No.

I mean I'm not

But you are!

That being said, co-oping the original with my friend was likely the best time I've had gaming and we beat it in like 3 nights while talking about music and Nintendo games. I dunno, just a wholesome memory at 17.

I'm 35 today and fucking yikes
 

leizzra

Member
Ok, so it’s seems like they have trouble with the way that Gears 5 ended and that the IP is getting weaker. They figured out that they can go back to the beginning and hit those nostalgia bits. It looks like the type of games that dev’s do after the main story - GoW Ascension, Gears Judgement, Halo Reach, etc. It can be good but we know how it goes further. It looks like this safe way to win the fans back. I’m rather cautious.
 
INFO
The story of Gears 4 and 5 isn't over, but The COALITION decided it was a time to go back to the roots and that today's technology was conducive to it.



▪️Not a spin-off but a new entry in the mainline Gears of War saga

▪️The Coalition is "content" with the stories told in Gears 4 and 5 and "isn't abandoning them", but making this game was opportunity that "felt too good to miss"

▪️Team is looking to recreate and improve on the series classic cover shooting, revisiting the tone of older Gears with "truly next-gen tech"

▪️Takes place 14 years before the first game, tackling how an ill-prepared Sera responds to a surprise Locust invasion

▪️Very intentional in recasting the Locusts not simply as foes but as "living nightmares"

▪️Design team prioritized redefining the Locust Drone, which had become simple fodder as the series progressed, into "something fearsome, physically intimidating, and utterly brutal"

▪️The fear of encountering the Locust for the first time is central to the game (desperation as Marcus fights a Drone for the first time)

▪️Hints that the origin of the Lancer (chainsaw, etc) will be part of the story

▪️The narrative follows the early stages of Marcus and Dom's brotherhood, bonding over the loss of Dom's older brother Carlos (who was close with Marcus)

▪️"Over 100x more environment and character details than Gears 5", hardware raytraced lighting, reflections and shadows, next generation destruction and gore, and cutting-edge animation technology






This is exactly what I've wanted for so long.

200.webp
 
Last edited:

DanielG165

Member
^^ Good that they’re taking a break from the new story and doing something different, while still keeping it mainline. It lets the Coalition be unique and not feel shackled.
 

simpatico

Member
INFO
The story of Gears 4 and 5 isn't over, but The COALITION decided it was a time to go back to the roots and that today's technology was conducive to it.
Fucking END that dogshit tale. Coalition deserves to be flogged for damn near killing what should be an easy money printer. So cautious about this E Day excitement. Just feels like a trap to let myself get as hyped as I want to be.
 
While this game is highly appreciated, I just hope that they at least finish the cliffhanger story from 5. It doesn't matter how much people don't like the new characters, they set up a 3-part story and they need to end it.
Maybe they will make a comic or book, gears 4 and 5 were horrible. I understand they have to add some wokeness, as is the rule in the west, but please keep it to the bare minimum in this game.
 
Last edited:
God, I hope this is good but I'm going to keep my expectations in check. It's hard to trust modern, western AAA studios with classic franchises. Really hope they don't fuck this up.
 

Represent.

Represent(ative) of bad opinions
Built from the ground up with Unreal Engine 5, Gears of War: E-Day delivers unprecedented graphical fidelity.

They actually used "unprecedented graphical fidelity" as a selling point, just like old times.
noah.png
noah.png
noah.png
noah.png



Say no more. Day 1.
rejoice.png
 
Last edited:

Sacred

Member
I really want a dark, jump scare, every encounter feels deadly type of gears game. Make it co-op and really turn the gore and atmosphere up to 11.
 

LiquidMetal14

hide your water-based mammals
It looks nice visually but that doesn't do anything for me until I see that it isn't just exactly like all the other Gears games we've grown fatigued about.
 

Celcius

°Temp. member
Have they mentioned whether this is Unreal Engine 4 or 5?

edit: nevermind I see it right in the OP
 
Last edited:

RagnarokIV

Battlebus imprisoning me \m/ >.< \m/
Young Marcus fighting for his life. E Day. Dom?! Every encounter is deadly. Locust tossing him around like a prisoner.

What a departure from grizzled veteran Marcus. 100lbs of armor. Slamming his battered into walls. Ammo not a concern. Range fighter but he’d still fuck you up if you got too close, chainsaw.

This trailer hit just as hard, if not harder than the original. We’re seeing how the legend was built. In the trenches. Let’s fucking go!!!!
Slamming his battered what into walls? I can't sleep unless I get an answer on this.

I'm guessing slamming his battered ass into walls, where he's been getting the Daddy Dom Domm treatment?
 

Nonehxc

Member
Well it's The Coalition, probably one of the best studios and one who really sticks the landing, so I'm expecting great things from this. 😎

But obligatory please don't fuck it up. 🙏🏻🥺
 

Goalus

Member
Was that the part where we spent like 2 hours fighting robots? I hated that part.
No, it was the very first section showing the otherwise-offscreen event "Aspho Fields" where the COG infiltrated a UIR base to steal their designs of an orbital cannon that was later developed into the Hammer of Dawn by the COG and enabled them to finally end the pendulum wars.
 
Last edited:

LordCBH

Member
No, it was the very first section showing the otherwise-offscreen event "Aspho Fields" where the COG infiltrated a UIR base to steal their designs of an orbital cannon that was later developed into the Hammer of Dawn by the COG and enabled them to finally end the pendulum wars.

Ooooooh. It’s been forever since I played 4 so I couldn’t remember lol
 

Punished Miku

Human Rights Subscription Service
It is, and Gears 5 is even better. Whoever says otherwise is no Gears fan and doesn't care about its universe and lore at all.
Totally agree. Honestly cant understand anyone complaining about 4 so far. 5 up next for me.
 

Bartski

Gold Member
https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2024/06...y-interview-details-xbox-games-showcase-2024/

Gears of War: E-Day was unveiled in a surprise announcement during the Xbox Games Showcase today, alongside an explosive trailer that takes us all the way back to Emergence Day. The trailer introduces us to this defining moment in the Gears of War series that sees the fearsome Locust make themselves known with a brutal ambush from below against the world of Sera. Here, we’ll follow younger versions of the series’ original heroes, Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago, as they begin their fight against the Locust invasion. This event is the catalyst for everything we know and love about Gears of War, and I caught up with developers at The Coalition to find out why now is the perfect time to tell that story. 

Speaking to Creative Director Matt Searcy and Brand Director Nicole Fawcette, I find that the vibe inside The Coalition is ecstatic – the team is absolutely thrilled to finally be sharing E-Day with the world. Over the last few years, the studio has remained purposefully quiet but continuously busy, wrapping up Gears 5, shipping its Hivebusters DLC and Gears Tactics, all the while adapting to the Covid pandemic and its changes to how studios are run. During that time, the shift in rhythm allowed the team some time to reflect, figuring out what they, and fans, were truly passionate about in order to find the next great Gears story. 
“We realized that a lot of the words we use to describe the franchise were what our fans also use, phrases like brotherhood, brutality, pathos, awe” says Searcy. “Why E-Day?  That’s the moment it all comes together. It’s the heart of the Gears universe. Everything that happens is shaped by this day.” 

Gears-of-War_E-Day_Announce_Screenshot_8-0447f2a891604c18eed6.jpg


Fans of those mainline Gears of War games can expect to feel at home with how Gears of War: E-Day feels. The Coalition is working to recreate and improve the series’ trademark third-person action, charging between cover in life-or death situations, all set within an explosive campaign that combines satisfying gameplay and emotive, character-led storytelling. However, all this is told through a modern lens, and rooted in groundbreaking technology, giving The Coalition room to really build out those elements. It’s a careful balance – a classic Gears of War game that feels authentic next to the original, but with truly next-gen tech behind it.
“It’s going to feel like a new Gears game, because that’s what it is,” Searcy says. “It’s us revisiting the tone and the feeling of what makes Gears great, but we’re tapping into new techniques, new processes, and new technology that’s going to make the gameplay feel better than ever. It’s going to be awesome, a game that feels both truly new, and authentically Gears.” 

Bringing the Monsters Back

Gears of War: E-Day is set 14 years before the events of the original Gears of War and tells the story of the first Locust emergence on Sera. As the game unfolds, we’ll get to see how an ill-prepared world responds to a threat like the Locust. The Coalition are being very intentional to recast the Locusts not simply as foes but as living nightmares. These aren’t your typical alien or zombie videogame antagonists; they’re mysterious, formidable creatures that dwell beneath the earth, tapping into our deepest fears. “The design brief was pretty simple,” explains Searcy. “Locust are the ‘monsters under the bed.’ What would happen to the people of Sera in seeing this overwhelming army of monsters and trying to figure out…what are you going to do?”
Studio Art Director Aryan Hanbeck explains further, “When players experience E-Day, they see the monsters through the eyes of those encountering them for the first time.” The design team prioritized redefining the Locust Drone, which had slowly become mere cannon fodder as the series progressed. “We transformed the drone into something fearsome, physically intimidating, and utterly brutal,” Hanbeck notes, highlighting its enhanced status just behind Marcus and Dom in the announce trailer. “Getting the drone right was crucial; everything else with the Locust we’re scaling up from there.”

Gears-of-War_E-Day_Announce_Screenshot_2-e5150580b534bbac4ba6.jpg


A Tale of Origins

The E-Day reveal trailer wastes no time in reintroducing us to Marcus, as he engages in a brutal struggle with the aforementioned Locust Drone. However, unlike our previous outings with him, this is the first time that the seasoned horde-sawing soldier we all know has faced off against an enemy like this. You can feel the strain and helplessness as he jousts with this inexplicable monstrosity – before finally fending it off not with his Retro Lancer, but a nearby television set. It’s this flavour of raw, personal brutality and desperation that The Coalition seeks to capture in Gears of War: E-Day – Marcus, and the world around him, are not yet equipped for this level of threat. 
The eagle-eyed fans among you may have also noticed that the MK 1 Lancer that Marcus briefly wields in the trailer features a detachable bayonet – it’s not the chainsaw-equipped gun we know from the wider series.   
Fawcette confirms to me that E-Day is a “story of many origins,” including the Chainsaw Lancer, but opts to keep the specifics of those stories to herself for now. Suffice it to say, we’re not just learning how Marcus and Dom came to be the heroes we know in E-Day.
“[The Chainsaw Lancer] doesn’t currently exist in that period… but it’s not a Gears game if you’re not chainsawing Locusts!” Fawcette laughs.

Gears-of-War_E-Day_Announce_Screenshot_3-60df655de5bbcfec793a.jpg


Fans will also immediately recognise the trailer’s inclusion of ‘Mad World’, the Tears for Fears track famously covered by Gary Jules and used in commercials for the original Gears of War games. Composer Adam Lastiwka has masterfully reimagined the iconic “Mad World” track for the Gears of War: E-Day trailer, crafting an original instrumental that enhances Gary Jules’ haunting cover and aligns perfectly with the game’s darker, grittier themes.
This instrumental cover plays out as Marcus and Dom gaze out into the Locust-decimated ruins of the city – a callback to the profound emotional depth of the landmark 2006 commercial. Unlike typical video game promotions of its time, this ad stood out by portraying its hero as vulnerable and isolated, sharply contrasting with the over-the-top marketing norms of that era.
“Re-licensing the music was just the beginning,” Fawcette remarked. “The original Mad World commercial resonates because it portrayed a heroism rooted in vulnerability, not invincibility. We wanted to explore all the elements that made that ad memorable and impactful.” This reflection shaped the approach, ensuring the trailer did more than just evoke nostalgia. “Our goal was to explore and reinvigorate the foundational ideas of the series.”
As Marcus teeters on the edge in a fierce close-quarters battle with the Locust, he swiftly outsmarts the Drone by planting the Lancer into the wall, disengaging the bayonet and downing his foe with a kill shot. He takes a moment to recuperate, before plummeting through the floorboards to what would presumably be his death at the behest of a giant emergence hole. We’ve not seen E-Holes since Gears of War: Judgement and watching this cavernous void swallow up an entire building with ease is particularly terrifying. However, in this moment, we see the reveal of a young Dom Santiago reaching out to help him up, and for longtime fans, it’s an emotional homecoming like no other.

Gears-of-War_E-Day_Announce_Screenshot_6-f4080b1e36291f34bdad.jpg


The Beginnings of Brotherhood

This story is of course, told from the perspectives of a much younger Marcus and Dom. While the pair are seasoned veterans of the Pendulum Wars (the human conflict taking place before the series begins), this is a wholly new threat for the pair to navigate: “The best Gears games have these super emotional themes around shared burden, belonging, trust and loyalty, and Marcus and Dom have a really interesting relationship going into E-Day,” Searcy says. 
To give some background context leading into the story of E-Day, Marcus and Dom are connected through Dom’s older brother, Carlos, who died on the battlefield with Marcus. The pair were best friends, so Marcus and Dom are in the early stages of forming a kinship over a shared loss and navigating those emotions together. 
“We’re telling the origin story of Marcus and Dom and their bond… this is the bond that defines the franchise,” Searcy adds. “They’re not the characters we know from Gears 1 to 3. They don’t have 10 years of fighting the Locust between them. When the game opens, there’s supposed to be peace on Sera, and they’re trying to figure out life without this person they both loved.” 
“People are going to see the formation of this brotherhood that is so iconic to Gears.” 

Gears-of-War_E-Day_Announce_Screenshot_4-cd4a90ede49ab8166504.jpg


Dealing with the new Locust threat becomes the more pressing concern for the two friends over the course of E-Day, but those emotional beats will still course through the story as you play. Fawcette says this is particularly exciting: 
“They are a lot more vulnerable, and I think that’s a really modern take on those two characters,” Fawcette explains. “There’s a weight they carry between them, and that creates a really interesting tension as they navigate their own relationship. 
“You have this intimate story set amid this wider backdrop of what’s happening on this apocalyptic day. I think, for fans, it’ll be really compelling to dig deep and explore their bond and how it changes over time.” 

From The Ground Up ​

Key to The Coalition’s vision is that, in another nod to the original game, E-Day won’t just be a marvel of gameplay and storytelling – but of technology, too. Game development has come a long way since the first Gears of War game and The Coalition, equipped with Unreal Engine 5, is prepared to take full advantage of this evolution to set new standards in technical prowess. 
When the original Gears of War launched, its “Mad World” trailer was nothing short of a revelation. Rendered entirely in-engine, it set a new benchmark for what gamers could expect directly from their gameplay experience—a rarity at a time when the chasm between cinematic trailers and actual game graphics was notably wide. Epic Games’ use of their own Unreal Engine not only showcased their confidence in the game’s visual and performance capabilities but also boldly declared the engine’s power.
The Coalition is honoring this legacy with the Gears of War: E-Day reveal trailer, powered by Unreal Engine 5. 

Gears-of-War_E-Day_Announce_Screenshot_5-ea8249fa3e6f9787d3d3.jpg


“With the advancements in Unreal Engine 5, the leap in technical capabilities is tremendous,” explains Kate Rayner, Studio Technical Director at The Coalition. This includes over 100 times more environment and character details than Gears 5, hardware raytraced lighting, reflections and shadows, next generation destruction and gore, and cutting-edge animation technology, to name just a few of the countless improvements that will make Gears of War: E-Day an unrivalled visual experience.
“Our ambition is to, once again, set a new standard in technical excellence,” Rayner adds. “We have fully modernized gears from the ground up, infusing the DNA of Gears with the full capabilities of modern gaming technology. Every character, environment, and animation in ‘Gears of War: E-Day‘ has been completely rebuilt in Unreal Engine 5, allowing us to portray the Gears universe with unprecedented detail and fidelity.”
“The original ‘Mad World’ trailer made a real statement by using in-engine footage. We’re pushing that even further with Unreal Engine 5,” Rayner continues. “Our goal with the announcement trailer was to highlight our commitment to pushing the boundaries of both storytelling and technology in gaming.”
Fawcette adds: “When you look at Marcus and Dom from the original games, they’re big beefy tanks, exaggerated in their design. As you’ve seen in the trailer, you can see how these guys have really come to life as human characters [in E-Day].” 

Gears-of-War_E-Day_Announce_Screenshot_7-bb5b0fb5c67e6a952a79.jpg


The Future of Gears

Of course, this isn’t the end of other ongoing stories in the Gears series – the team is content with the stories told in Gears 4 and Gears 5 and is by no means abandoning them, but the collective passion for such an iconic origin story was simply too great to ignore. The story of E-Day and the origins of Marcus and Dom are such powerful, pivotal events that The Coalition couldn’t wait to tell it.  
“We’re super proud about Gears 4 and Gears 5 and the stories that were told,” Fawcette adds. “We’re not retreating from that storyline in any way. But in [this] moment, we had an opportunity to write our next step, and this one just felt too good to miss.” 
It’s also important to note that E-Day is not a spin-off, it’s a completely new entry to the mainline series, set earlier in the timeline. The events of the game not only serve as an exciting origin tale of two beloved characters, but it also adds detail and context to this period that will resonate through stories that will follow. In E-day, the Locust are not foes that our characters are accustomed to fighting. They are mysterious, formidable and overwhelming – an unforeseen horror that Marcus, Dom, and the rest of Sera must learn to deal with before it’s too late. Everything that happens in E-Day will shape the future of Gears of War for the better. 
This is the Gears of War story you’ve always wanted to hear, and it’s going to be incredible.

Big Brother Omg GIF by Global TV
 

Goalus

Member
Totally agree. Honestly cant understand anyone complaining about 4 so far. 5 up next for me.
Gears 4 probably IS the weakest entry, but what makes it great is that the story continues after 25 years and expands the lore. The new enemies are dope, Pouncer, Snatcher, Scion, Warden, Matriarch - Juvies are also harder to shoot than the Wretches from the original trilogy.
 

SABRE220

Member
My god, this hit me right in the nostalgia node, a return to the og badass gears atmosphere.
 
Last edited:

Punished Miku

Human Rights Subscription Service
Gears 4 probably IS the weakest entry, but what makes it great is that the story continues after 25 years and expands the lore. The new enemies are dope, Pouncer, Snatcher, Scion, Warden, Matriarch - Juvies are also harder to shoot than the Wretches from the original trilogy.
Im early and would already put it above 3 and Judgment.
 
Top Bottom