Xbox’s
big
showcase
event
is
in
the
can
and
it
was
a
strong
show
for
the
struggling
brand.
The
highlight
for
me
is
an
easy
choice:
Gears
of
War
is
back,
baby!

But
it
isn’t
back
in
the
way
we
probably
all
expected.
Most
of
us,
myself
included,
were
all
expecting
to
see
either
the
long-rumoured
remastering
of
the
original
three
games,
or
Gears
6.
Hell,
even
one
of
the
actors
from
Gears
5
seemed
to
be
hinting
at
a
sequel
getting
shown
off
at
the
Xbox
Games
Showcase.

We
didn’t
get
either
of
those
things.
Gears
of
War:
E-Day
was
instead
announced
by
The
Coalition,
not
only
bringing
back
‘of
War’
but
also
bringing
back
two
very
familiar
faces:
Marcus
Fenix
and
Dominic
Santiago,
who
you
might
remember
died
during
the
events
of
Gears
of
War
3
all
those
years
ago
in
a
heart-rending
scene.

As
the
name
suggests,
E-Day
is
a
prequel
that
takes
place
some
fifteen
years
before
the
original
game,
telling
the
story
of
Emergence
Day
when
the
Locus
horde
first
appeared.
The
trailer
depicts
Marcus
Fenix
getting
his
ass
handed
to
him
by
a
Locus
Drone
before
Dom
steps
in
to
save
him,
all
while
the
haunting
melody
of
Mad
World
plays
in
the
background.

A
prequel
is
a
peculiar
move
though,
when
Gears
5
ended
on
a
cliffhanger.
So
what’s
the
deal?

In
a
lengthy
post
on
the
Xbox
Wire,
the
Coalition
explains
that
while
figuring
out
how
to
keep
working
during
the
pandemic,
they
took
some
time
to
reflect,
to
figure
out
what
they
and
the
fans
were
passionate
about.

“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”
said
Searcy,
the
Creative
Director
of
The
Coalition.
“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.”  

However,
the
post
does
also
address
the
future,
saying
that
a
new
Gears
is
still
very
much
coming.

“We’re
super
proud
about Gears
4 and Gears
5 and
the
stories
that
were
told.
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.” said
Brand
Director
Nicole
Fawcette

One
key
point
mentioned
in
the
post
addresses
something
I’ve
been
saying
for
years:
the
series
needs
to
return
to
its
horror
tone
of
the
first
game,
painting
the
Locus
as
monsters.
The
Xbox
Wire
states
that
The
Coalition
are
aiming
to
present
the
Locus
as
“living
nightmares”.

Studio
Art
Director
Aryan
Hanbeck
says
that
since
players
are
going
to
be
seeing
the
Locus
through
the
eyes
of
characters
encountering
them
for
the
first
time,
they
wanted
to
redesign
the
Locus
Drone
which
had
become
mere
cannon
fodder.

“We
transformed
the
drone
into
something
fearsome,
physically
intimidating,
and
utterly
brutal,”
Hanbeck
said.

Above
all
else,
it’s
the
return
of
Dom
that
feels
like
the
most
important
part
of
the
trailer.
At
this
stage,
Marcus
and
Dom
aren’t
the
brothers
we
know
and
love.
Dom
has
just
lost
his
brother
Carlos,
who
died
on
the
battlefield
fighting
side-by-side
with
Marcus
Fenix

“We’re
telling
the
origin
story
of
Marcus
and
Dom
and
their
bond…
this
is
the
bond
that
defines
the
franchise,”
Searcy
said.
“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.”  

No
release
date
was
even
hinted
at,
so
it’s
unclear
how
long
we’ll
have
to
wait.
But
as
a
Gears
fanatic,
I’m
hyped
to
hell
for
this
one.
I
can’t
freaking
wait.